A NEW ARRIVAL ON THE RANCH...
Champion bull rider Austin Brannigan has returned home to the family ranch to recover from his injury. Only his world is turned on its head when he finds out he has a three-month-old daughter who has no one in the world but him.
As a father, Austin is totally out of his depth. But his physical therapist, the beautiful and determined Erin Carlton, is stepping into the role of temporary mom very quickly. It may not be in her job description, and it may mean putting hopes of her own family on hold. What about Austin’s dreams, which mean being out on the circuit? Will baby Lilly help Austin and Erin create a new dream of family?
Erin brushed her hand over Lilly’s head.
“This little one needs you.”
“And I’m going to try to be here for her,” Austin told her. “And I mean that, Erin. I’m not asking you to raise my daughter. I’m asking you to help me until I’m standing firmly on both feet.”
She nodded, looking down at the baby in his arms. “Let’s do this week to week. Starting first with the doctor’s visit in four days, then see where to go to from there.”
Austin studied her, suddenly remembering what she’d been talking about. “It seems Lilly interrupted us earlier. Do you mind telling me about this IVF treatment?”
She glanced away, but he saw the sadness in her green eyes. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
A Colorado Family
Patricia Thayer
PATRICIA THAYER was born and raised in Muncie, Indiana, the second in a family of eight children. She attended Ball State University before heading west, where she has called Southern California home for many years. There she’s been a member of the Orange County Chapter of RWA. It’s a sisterhood like no other.
When not working on a story, she might be found traveling the United States and Europe, taking in the scenery and doing story research while enjoying time with her husband, Steve. Together, they have three grown sons, four grandsons and one granddaughter, whom Patricia calls her own true-life heroes.
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Erin Carlton blinked several times, trying to stay awake as she drove along the Colorado highway. Last night’s graveyard shift at the Mountain View Convalescent Center had been a rough one. During her rounds there had been two emergencies. Luckily, nothing too serious. Yet with Alzheimer’s patients, you had to expect the unexpected, even if it was only to give them reassurance.
She leaned back in the cargo van’s seat and began to relax her tense muscles as she focused on the majestic Rocky Mountains. A fresh start here in Hidden Springs had been a good idea. She’d made friends, been able to save money, but still she didn’t have enough...yet. That was the reason she was going to this interview.
She glanced down at the written directions given to her for her appointment, not exactly sure of the location of the ranch.
If she got this part-time job, the money would be strictly for her special account. If she weren’t so close to reaching her goal amount, she’d be home in bed, sleeping away the cool autumn day. But the money offered for this position was too good to turn down, even if she’d been warned ahead of time about the hard-to-deal-with client. Not that hard work ever stopped her before.
Erin turned off the main road and saw the sign to the Circle R Ranch, then another sign for Georgia’s Therapy Riding Center. She smiled at the thought of her friends Brooke and Trent Landry, who were involved in the program for special-needs kids. If she knew how to ride a horse, she might help out, too. But this city gal didn’t have any desire to take on a horse.
She drove through the ranch’s main gate and followed the long row of white-slatted fence. There were several horses grazing in the green pasture. She passed