A Baby on the Ranch

“They’re more than just relatives, Katherine,” he said gently. “Seth, Ross and Victoria—they’re your brothers and sister. Amelia was your real mother. Celia only raised you for her.”

“No! No! That can’t be!”

Jerking her hand from his, she shoved herself to her feet and ran across the room to where a window displayed the dusky skyline of Fort Worth. Lonnie hurried after her, and as he took her by the back of the shoulders, he realized she was crying. Not on the outside where he could see her tears, but on the inside where emotional pain was causing her whole body to shake. The notion of her anguish cut him deeply. Because he understood exactly how she was feeling. In his younger years he’d done a lot of crying on the inside, too. Maybe that was why Seth had thought Lonnie would be perfect for this job. He’d probably figured a man without a family could empathize with a woman who believed she was entirely alone in the world.

“It’s true, Katherine,” he said gently as he stared down at the shiny crown of her dark hair. “Amelia Ketchum was your mother.”

For long moments she didn’t say anything, and then slowly she turned and tilted her face up to his. “If that’s true,” she said accusingly, “then why wasn’t I raised with my brothers and sister? Why was I sent to Texas?”

Lonnie glanced away from her, drew in a bracing breath and tightened his hold on her shoulders. “Because you—” He forced his eyes to return to hers. “Because Amelia had been having an affair and she didn’t want her family to know about her pregnancy.”

Katherine’s hands instinctively pressed against the mound of baby she was carrying, and Lonnie could see from the torn look on her face that she couldn’t imagine any circumstances that would make her separate herself from her child.

“All right,” she said, then swallowed convulsively. “If that’s the case, then who is my father?”

“I hate to have to tell you this, Katherine. But your father was Noah Rider.”

If possible, she went even whiter, and her lips began to move but no sound was coming out.

“No-No-ah?” she finally whispered.

Lonnie started to nod, but he didn’t have time. Before he could respond, she wilted like a sunflower, and he caught her just as she fell against his chest.

Chapter Two

“Whoa! Whoa, now, Miss Katherine! Don’t you faint on me!”

With his hands gripping her upper arms, Lonnie attempted to steady her. To his relief, she stayed upright, but her neck couldn’t seem to hold her head straight, and her gaze was blank.

Cursing under his breath, Lonnie quickly scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the couch. As he eased her down on an end cushion and propped a pile of throw pillows against her back, she began to protest.

“You can let go of me now. I’m…okay,” she said stammered weakly. “I just had a woozy moment. It’s passed now.”

Reluctant to loosen his hold on her, Lonnie kept his fingers tightly fastened around her arm as he sat down on the cushion next to her. “I think I’d better take you to the emergency room,” he said with concern. “Just to make sure you’re okay.”

She looked at him, and her cheeks flushed pink, a sign that relieved Lonnie. At least her blood was pumping at a regular rate again.

“No! I’m fine, really. My head swam for only a few seconds. And that’s not unusual for a pregnant woman. Believe me, if I feel the least bit woozy in the morning, I’ll head to my obstetrician.”

The Deaf Smith County sheriff looked at her with faint skepticism. “I don’t know much about pregnant women. But you’ve had a shock and—”

“I’m tough,” she quickly interjected. “Besides, now that I’ve had a few moments to collect myself, I’m beginning to think about all you’ve said. And I might as well tell you—I’m not at all convinced that I should take any of your story at face value. As far as I’m concerned, a letter doesn’t prove anything. Anyone could have written it.”

She straightened her slumped shoulders and reached up to push several strands of disheveled hair from her face. The movement caused the grip of his fingers on her arm to loosen, and Katherine likened the feeling to a piece of hot iron being pulled away from her skin. She’d been around men before. Even rugged, outdoor types like Sheriff Lonnie Corteen. Yet she couldn’t remember one, including the father of her baby, whom she’d reacted to as violently as she had this man. It didn’t make sense. He wasn’t what she’d call handsome. He was tall and rawboned and his features were more rough than smooth. Hooded blue eyes set over a big nose. Hollow creases bracketed a wide, roughly hewn set of lips. The angle of his jaw and the jut of his chin were strong, even a little arrogant. Everything about him was potently masculine, and it embarrassed her to be reacting to him in such a downright sexual way.

“No,” he said slowly. “A letter doesn’t necessarily prove anything. After all, it could have been forged. But for what reason? What would anyone gain out of making up a story like this?”

Katherine couldn’t think of one thing anyone might gain, and that unsettled her even more. Saying Celia wasn’t her mother was like saying the sun didn’t rise in the east. “I would know my mother’s handwriting,” she quickly informed him.

He looked at her regretfully. “Don’t you mean your aunt’s handwriting?”

Her nostrils flared as she took in the meaning of his question. “Celia McBride was my mother. She’s the only mother I’ve ever known. And I…I think it’s despicable that you’ve come into my home and questioned the veracity of my family.”

“I’m not questioning anything, Miss Katherine. This is the story Seth Ketchum gave to me. And Seth doesn’t lie. He’s a Texas Ranger.”

And that was close to being godly, Katherine thought as her stomach tilted wildly. Honor and truth were a motto the Rangers lived by. But that didn’t mean this Seth person was automatically right. He could have gotten his information confused. It was some other woman, not her, that had been born to Amelia Ketchum all those years ago!

“I’m not saying that your friend is lying about any of this. I’m just thinking that he could have received misinformation.”

The sheriff reached for her hand and she allowed his big fingers to wrap around hers. The size of his hand and the rough skin of his palm reminded Katherine that he was a big, tough lawman. Yet she felt a unique tenderness in his touch as his fingers gently squeezed hers.

Shaken by that contradiction, she glanced away from him and swallowed.

Lonnie said softly, “I understand this is a whole heap of information for you to take in at once, Katherine. And if I were in your shoes, I’d probably be protesting a lot louder than you are. I’m not asking you just to take my word for the truth. I realize you need facts. And so do the Ketchums. That’s why they asked me to find you. If you’re really their half sister, they want to know it. Don’t you?”

She slanted a woeful glance at him as fear of the unknown crept over her like a night shadow. “I don’t know. I pretty much like things the way they are.”

Sighing, he pushed a hand through his hair. Katherine couldn’t help but notice it was thick and slightly wavy, the color somewhere between russet and chestnut. For a person with red highlights in his hair, he had darkly tanned skin. From hours spent in the Texas sun, she supposed. That could only mean he did much more than sit in a sheriff’s office behind a wide desk and bark orders to his deputy.

Why are you even noticing these things, Katherine? It isn’t like you to be thinking about a man in this way. Stop it! Before it gets you in trouble.

The little voice in her head made her want to laugh with self-mockery. What was she thinking? A man had already gotten her into trouble. She was facing the future of raising a child alone. But she was bound and determined to do it and do it well. Just as her mother had raised Katherine all on her own.

“But you might like things better with a family,” he reasoned.

The suggestion caused a fissure of pain to creep slowly between her breasts. Of course she would like a family. Since she was old enough to remember, she’d longed for siblings. But Celia had always told Katherine that a family had to have a daddy to have babies and they hadn’t had a daddy in their little family. As a child, that reason had been enough for Katherine to quit asking her mother to give her a sibling. But later, when she’d grown up, she’d often wondered why her mother had never married and given them a true family. Was it because Celia hadn’t really been her mother? No! That couldn’t be. The woman simply hadn’t trusted men. Ben had hurt her and she’d never wanted to be hurt again. Katherine certainly couldn’t blame her mother for being gun-shy about marriage. Especially now that Walt had deserted her like a pile of oily rags.

“Maybe,” she said to Lonnie. “But being part of a family isn’t—it’s not just something you can learn how to do! And besides, these people don’t know me. And once they did, they might not want me in their family. I don’t want to go through that sort of rejection. Not for any reason.”

His brows lifted slightly as he studied her face. “Does this mean—are you actually beginning to believe that Amelia Ketchum and Noah Rider are your true parents?”

Was she? No! It was going to take more than a sheriff and a letter to persuade her.

Her mouth set in a grim line, she looked at him. “I’m sorry, but no.”

“I’m sorry, too,” he murmured as his eyes flicked regretfully over her face. “Because I think you’re turning away from a wonderful, loving family.”

Her gaze fell to his big brown fingers wrapped around her pale hand. To have such a man as Lonnie Corteen sitting here holding her hand and talking about family was unbearably sweet. So much so that she knew she had to pull away from him. She had to quickly put an end to this whole disturbing episode. Not only the story of the Ketchums, but also her time with this man.

Pulling her hand from his, she slowly pushed herself to her feet. “I understand you’re only the messenger and you’re trying to help. But I’m really not up to this. In fact, I’m very, very tired. I’m going to have a bite to eat and lie down.”

She was asking him to leave and Lonnie certainly couldn’t argue. But it bothered him that nothing was settled. It also bothered him to say goodbye to the woman. He felt an unexplainable need to hang around and protect her. From what, he didn’t know. Hell, it looked as though he was the only one giving her a problem.

“Yeah. Maybe you should,” he agreed. Rising to his feet, he collected his hat from a spot on the floor near the armchair. As he settled it down on his forehead he looked to see she was about to rise to her feet. Swiftly, he waved her back down. “No need for you to get up, Katherine. I’ll see myself out. But there is something I need to know before I leave.”

Her brows arched with question. “Yes?”

“When can I see you again?”