Adversaries and Lovers

by Patricia Watters

  Ernie and Linda clapped enthusiastically.

  Linda said to Ben, "You have to admit, sweetie, your wife is brilliant."

  Ben gave Kate a squeeze. "I know."

  “And look at all the money we saved by using that scene,” Kate said, smugly.

  Ben gave her a wry smile. “What happened to your aversion to making money?”

  Kate kissed him lightly. “That was before I became a member of the board. Now you can make all the money you want so Rosie and I can have lots of pretty things."

  Ernie stood. "I hate to break this up after such a nice day here, but we have to run. Come on, Granny," he said to Linda.

  "I like the sound of that," Linda said. "I can hardly believe I'm finally going to be a grandmother. You call me the minute you suspect you're going into labor," she said to Kate.

  Kate started to tell her that it might be very soon, then decided it was probably another false alarm. She'd been having them the better part of the week.

  After Ernie and Linda left, Kate settled onto Ben's lap again, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said, "I just love those two. They'll make incredible grandparents. I can't believe Linda already has that little room fixed up for Rosie. We'll never have to worry about baby sitters. Unh!” she grunted, feeling another pain, this one more sustained than the last. After it passed, she said, “I think Rosie's ready to go shopping.”

  Ben laughed and patted her tummy. “I think you women are ganging up on me, but that’s okay. You two can have all the pretty things you want and there’ll be money left over, because what I want doesn’t cost a cent, except maybe for a little electricity to heat the water in the tank." He started unfastening the buttons on her blouse.

  “Unh!” Kate grunted again, her arms tightening around Ben's neck as the pain reminded her that this could be for real. “We need to get going,” she said.

  “I'm hurrying as fast as I can," he replied, pushing her shirt aside, "Are you sure it’s okay for Rosie though?”

  “Not according to her," Kate said. "In fact she wants out.”

  “Out of what?” Ben asked, nuzzling her oversized breasts.

  “Out of me.”

  Ben froze. “What?!”

  “It's time, as in baby time. My overnight bag is already in the car.”

  “Time? Yes. Rosie... " Ben lifted Kate in his arms and stood, then looked around, set her on the futon and sat down beside her, panic in his eyes. “Honey, what am I supposed to do?” he said in a frantic voice. “Tell me what I’m supposed to do.”

  Kate looked at him. “Just relax and do like the doctor said. Take several deep breaths... that’s right... breath in... breath out... in... out... That’s fine, honey. Now, I think you’d better get on the cell phone and tell Ernie and Linda to meet us at the hospital—” she paused as another pain came, this time long and sustained, followed by a heavy feeling low in her belly "—on second thought," she said, "maybe you'd better call 9-1-1…"

  Rosie was delivered in the ambulance. Kate did fine, and after a few puffs of oxygen, Ben was strong enough to hold his daughter. He looked down at the tiny bundle in his arms, then at Kate, his life, his love, and wondered how any man could be so lucky. Truly, he was blessed.

  ###

  ALSO BY PATRICIA WATTERS

  DANCING MOON RANCH TRILOGY

  RIGHTEOUS LIES

  Book 1: Dancing Moon Ranch Series; Living With Lies Trilogy

  A SIMPLE PROCEDURE WITH MONUMENTAL CONSEQUENCES...

  Grace Templeton thought the child she'd been carrying for seven months was the child of her dead husband, and Jack Hansen thought the sperm he'd donated had gone to the wife of his sterile twin... Until they learn that two vials of sperm at the fertility clinic were accidentally switched. The shock sends Grace into early labor, and the only place she can have complete bed rest is at the Dancing Moon Ranch owned by Jack and his twin, Sam. But soon, Grace finds herself falling in love with a hard-edged cowboy who appears to want to control every aspect of her life, now that she's carrying his son. But Jack has his reasons. He also has no intention of marrying, and Grace is determined to learn why. 89,748 words

  PANDORA'S BOX

  Book 2: Dancing Moon Ranch Series; Living With Lies Trilogy

  A STORY ABOUT THE POWER OF LOVE TO MEND THREE BROKEN PEOPLE...

  Justine Page used her body and her beauty to make her way up the corporate ladder. But when a relationship with a CEO goes sour, and she finds herself without a job or a place to live, she goes to the Dancing Moon Ranch to stay with her sister and reassess her life. Brad Meecham, a war correspondent and best-selling author with post traumatic stress, has taken a cabin on the ranch to try and deal with mind demons. But he's also intrigued by Justine, who's determined to put her checkered past behind. And Justine finds herself in love for the first time in her life. About the time they think they could make a life together, a daughter Brad never knew existed is delivered to him when her mother dies. Suddenly, Brad finds himself with a child who wants nothing to do with anyone but Justine, and Brad knows without question that a woman who slept her way to the top will never be a candidate for step-mother. For his wife, yes. He can put Justine's past behind. But his daughter needs a mother grounded in solid morals. But then, Brad fails to factor in the power of love to bring together a flawed woman and a troubled child, and his need to have them both in his life. 88,312 words

  FALSE PRETENSES

  Book 3: Dancing Moon Ranch Series; Living With Lies Trilogy

  Jayne Hamilton has a dark secret she's carefully guarded and which she hopes will stay hidden until she lands the job at Dancing Moon Ranch. But as Sam Hansen interviews her, he’s uneasy. Things don't add up. Still, he hires her without running a background check because his mother wants to retire from the guest ranch end of the operation, and neither Sam nor his twin, Jack, want to take over that job. A guest ranch manager would free them of that burden. But soon, Sam finds himself blindly attracted to Jayne, even though he knows she's hiding something... something that has to do with a child. But Sam also senses that there's much more. 77,527

  LIVING WITH LIES

  DANCING MOON RANCH TRILOGY

  3 BOOKS UNDER ONE COVER - 252,830 words

  BOOK 1: RIGHTEOUS LIES:

  Grace Templeton thought the child she'd been carrying for seven months was the child of her dead husband, and Jack Hansen thought the sperm he'd donated had gone to the wife of his sterile twin... Until they learn that two vials of sperm at the fertility clinic were accidentally switched. The shock sends Grace into early labor, and the only place she can have complete bed rest is at the Dancing Moon Ranch owned by Jack and his twin, Sam. But soon, Grace finds herself falling in love with a hard-edged cowboy who appears to want to control every aspect of her life, now that she's carrying his son. But Jack has his reasons. He also has no intention of marrying, and Grace is determined to learn why.

  BOOK 2: PANDORA'S BOX: Justine Page used her body and her beauty to make her way up the corporate ladder. But when a relationship with a CEO goes sour, and she finds herself without a job or a place to live, she goes to the Dancing Moon Ranch to stay with her sister, Grace, and reassess her life. Brad Meecham, a war correspondent with post traumatic stress, who has taken a cabin on the ranch to try and deal with mind demons, is intrigued by Justine, who's determined to put her checkered past behind. About the time they think they could make a life together, a daughter Brad never knew existed is delivered to him when her mother dies. Suddenly, Brad finds himself with a child who wants nothing to do with anyone but Justine, and he knows without question that a woman who slept her way to the top will never be a candidate for step-mother. For his wife, yes--he can set aside Justine's past--but his daughter needs a mother grounded in solid morals. But then, Brad fails to factor in the power of love to bring together a flawed woman and a troubled child, and his need to have them both in his life.

  BOOK 3: FALSE PRETENSES: Jayne Hamilton has a dark secret she's carefully guarded and which she
hopes will stay hidden until she lands the job at Dancing Moon Ranch. But as Sam Hansen interviews her, he’s uneasy. Things don't add up. Still, he hires her without running a background check because his mother wants to retire from the guest ranch end of the operation, and neither Sam nor his twin, Jack, want to take over that job. A guest ranch manager would free them of that burden. But soon, Sam finds himself blindly attracted to Jayne, even though he knows she's hiding something... something that has to do with a child. But Sam also senses that there's much more.

  CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES

  JUSTIFIED DECEPTION

  SHE WAS LIVING A LIE FOR THE SAKE OF HER DAUGHTER, AND SHE'D NEVER FELT MORE DECEITFUL IN HER LIFE... Ruth Crawford's on a quest to find and reclaim her daughter, who was kidnapped four years before. Ruth's private investigator is all but certain that ranch owner, Matt Kincaid's, adopted daughter Annie is Ruth's own little Beth. But Matt's the maverick in a powerful family of lawyers and politicians, so even though she manages to land the job as nanny to Matt's willful, six-year-old daughter, Ruth must tread carefully. She can't predict what Matt or his family might do if the adoption is challenged. However, Ruth's carefully laid plans go awry when she finds herself falling in love with the man who might have stolen her child. 60,950 words.

  ADVERSARIES AND LOVERS

  SOMEWHERE THERE WAS A CHINK IN HIS ARMOR, AND SHE INTENDED TO FIND IT... When Kate O’Connor learns that Ben Stassen's new corporate office will replace a block of charming old buildings that include the Corner Cafe, where Grandma and her friends have been lunching for half a century, she vows to stop it, taking her case directly to the man. But that's not the way Ben Stassen sees it. He built Stassen Sports from the ground up and he refuses to let a woman on a mission stand in his way. But, Kate has advertising skills he can use, so ignoring her crusade, he invites her to submit ideas for his ad campaign. And Kate accepts—a strategic move to use against the man. But working with Ben stirs feelings Kate hadn't anticipated, and when she at last finds the chink in Ben's armor, the key to stopping his business venture, she also finds a troubled man who refuses to be touched by love, and she’s determined to know why. 57,800 words

  BROKEN PROMISES

  HE'D LEFT HER ONCE, HE'D LEAVE HER AGAIN... Tess O'Reilly can't forget the words engraved inside the ring Zak de Neuville gave her when he promised to love her forever, then disappeared from her life without a word. Eskauldunfededun--the Basque is faithful. More appropriately, the Basque is faithless! And now Zak's back in Baker's Creek. He's also the father of a boy who had to have been conceived shortly after he left. Tess too has returned to Baker's Creek to help her ailing father. After a lengthy estrangement from him because of Zak, she's come home to rebuild the relationship they once had, before it's too late, and she has no intention of getting involved with Zak again. The problem is, time has done nothing to temper the white-hot flame that's once again building. 60,540 words.

  IN HOT PURSUIT

  HER LIFE SEEMED SOMEHOW DESTINED TO WEAVE A PATH THROUGH HIS OWN SOLITARY EXISTENCE... Inheriting her uncle's yacht and living on it is just what Nellie Reid needs to get out of the financial abyss she's in and put the lives of herself and her ten-year-old son back on track. But what she initially thinks is a dream come true, quickly becomes a nightmare. Not only is the owner of the boathouse threatening foreclosure for back rent, he claims he had an agreement with Nellie's uncle for use of the boat for his whale study. But if Will Edenshaw cruises off on her yacht, Nellie will have him arrested for grand theft! And Will hasn't the heart to foreclose on a homeless, jobless widow. But once at sea, life aboard the Isadora becomes perilous. Will's in hot pursuit, and there's no place Nellie can run and hide from her heart. But there are also others in pursuit—a grizzled old sea dog and a bald-headed man with a gun—and Nellie and Will don't know why. But as they venture into rough waters, it's evident that whoever's in pursuit is dead set on seeing Nellie... dead. 63,470 words

  THE LOVE BOAT CONSPIRACY

  Maybe, by some miracle, what their daughters had written in those letters would be the answer that both their parents were searching for, and neither could find... When three meddling daughters decide it won't be quits for their once happily married parents, they inadvertently set into motion a dangerous chain of events that neither Andrea nor Jerry Porter could ever have imagined when they set out on a luxury cruise neither wanted. But before long, they find themselves drawn into a drug-smuggling scheme by the smooth-talking Italian who singled Andrea out for flattery, their first day aboard. That's also when Andrea and Jerry begin to see each other in a whole different light, one that ignites a flame that had long since died. Until then, unspoken words and distant memories hovered between them like ghosts from the past. But it's three letters from their daughters that ultimately force them to face the real reason behind their crumbling marriage. 63,900 words

  HISTORICAL ROMANCES

  COLBY'S CHILD

  SHE KNEW HIS BOND WAS WITH HER CHILD, WHO TOUCHED HIS HEART IN A WAY SHE NEVER COULD... He's a man with a dark past, a quick hand on the draw, and a soft spot for her child. She's a widow who needs protection. A marriage of convenience is the means of keeping her safe in a town populated by gold miners, dance hall girls, and scurrilous men, until her gold mine is producing and she can return east. But soon after Jenny MacDonald marries Jason Colby, she finds herself falling in love with a man whose dark past is quickly catching up with him, the very man who might have killed her husband. 69.400 words.

  HER MASTER'S TOUCH

  SHE WAS DRAWN TO THE SIGHT OF HIM, EVEN WHILE A SLOW AWARENESS BEGAN TO DAWN... She's the mystery debutante of the season, who arrived on the London scene as if from out of nowhere. But Lord Damon Ravencroft knows her dark secret. Two years before, when she was roaming with Gypsies and living by her wits in India, he hired her as a housemaid, and she stole from him a rare and valuable opal once belonging to the Empress Josephine. Damon intends to be compensated for its loss, which set him back years in his quest to prove his innocence in a crime he's accused of committing. The sizable dowry that comes with Lady Elizabeth Sheffield's hand in marriage is a start. It's also his price to keep her secret from all of London. But there's more to the marriage of convenience that Damon proposes than Elizabeth anticipated, but by the time she learns what it is, she's trapped into a marriage to a man who both stirs her passions and fuels her resentment for the man she was forced to wed. 72,400 words

  WICKED TEMPTATIONS

  LORD WHITTINGTON CAUSED HER TO HAVE THOUGHTS NO DECENT WOMAN SHOULD HAVE... Priscilla Phipps will not be deterred from her goal, even if it means facing up to the powerful Wyoming Stock Grower's Association and cattle barons like Adam Whittington, who want the homesteaders--the very people who are supporting the newspaper Priscilla is trying to establish--driven out of Wyoming. But Adam has his own means of handling the troublesome spinster who's alienating every cattleman in the area, raising havoc with his libido, and putting a damper on his run for mayor of Cheyenne. And Priscilla, a maiden lady who's never been touched by a man, suddenly finds herself lusting after forbidden desires. 74,320 words

  COME BE MY LOVE

  THERE WAS ONLY ONE PATH TO TAKE, AND IT DID NOT LEAD INTO THE GOVERNOR'S ARMS... When Sarah Ashley arrives in Victoria, British Columbia to open a mercantile for the manufacture and sale of bloomer costumes, she turns Governor Jonathan Cromwell's colony upside down. But while her enterprise is diving the town and disrupting every facet of Jon's life, he can't decide whether to seduce the stunning suffragette into sweet submission, set more obstacles in her path, or send her away to preserve his colony. But Sarah didn't liquidate her entire savings and sail all the way from San Francisco to Victoria just to have her dreams dashed by Vancouver Island's arrogant young governor. Come hell or high water, she will establish her business despite Jon's unfairly imposed obstacles... and a longing heart that tempts her to surrender her principles for one night of passion with the insufferably handsome rogue. 95,000 words

  PERILO
US PLEASURES

  HE LOOKED MORE LIKE AN EXOTIC BRITISH LORD THAN A ROVING GYPSY LION TAMER... Loving a man who faces death every day of his life can be wearing, Joanna Livingston learns, soon after Stefan Janacek joins the show with his big cat act. Lions on their own are formidable. The fact that someone wants Stefan dead, and is harassing his cats to get them to turn on him, leads to serious ramifications that make Joanna question if she can live with that fear. Before Porter Brother's took Stefan on, Joanna was star of a major circus with her flying trapeze act. Then a man with the charm of a British lord and the body of a gladiator joined the show and stole the limelight, along with Joanna's heart. But working with big cats is all Stefan knows, which means being under contract with a major show, so when Joanna suspects she's pregnant, the decision she's ultimately forced to make is one she'd never considered before falling in love with a lion tamer. 72,650 words

  TWO-BOOK ANTHOLOGIES

  GYPSY MOON

  TWO FULL-LENGTH HISTORICAL ROMANCES UNDER ONE COVER - 144,914 words

  HER MASTER'S TOUCH - She's the mystery debutante of the season, who arrived on the London scene as if from out of nowhere. But Lord Damon Ravencroft knows her dark secret. Two years before, when she was roaming with Gypsies and living by her wits in India, he hired her as a housemaid, and she stole from him a rare and valuable opal once belonging to the Empress Josephine. Damon intends to be compensated for its loss, which set him back years in his quest to prove his innocence in a crime he's accused of committing. The sizable dowry that comes with Lady Elizabeth Sheffield's hand in marriage is a start. It's also his price to keep her secret from all of London. But there's more to the marriage of convenience that Damon proposes than Elizabeth anticipated, but by the time she learns what it is, she's trapped into a marriage to a man who both stirs her passions and fuels her resentment for the man she was forced to wed.