Love Inspired February 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: The Cowboy's Reunited FamilyThe Forest Ranger's ReturnMommy Wanted

by Brenda Minton

  Or her, for that matter.

  And Eli was still standing on her front porch.

  “Get back, Horace,” she ordered, gently pushing a fluffy husky’s hindquarters for emphasis. “Francis—off you go,” she said to a Boston terrier with three legs. “And you, Sebastian,” she said to the Labrador retriever whose collar she still held. “Back to the den. Shoo!”

  Eli’s striking blue eyes widened and his jaw went slack when the animals obeyed.

  “What?” she asked hesitantly.

  “I can’t believe all those dogs did what you wanted them to do. It was almost as if they understood what you were saying to them.”

  Astonished and not a little bit perplexed, Mary shook her head. Hadn’t Eli ever been around a dog before? Serendipity was a ranching community. Nearly every family in town had at least one working dog, a collie or a shepherd to help herd their stock. But Eli’s amazement appeared to be genuine.

  “Of course they did what they were told. They recognize the tone of my voice, if not the words. Dogs are smart animals. Even if they didn’t exactly comprehend what I was telling them, they understand my hand gestures and body language. Weren’t you around any dogs growing up?”

  He stiffened and shifted his gaze away from her. “Nope.”

  She waited for him to elaborate. He didn’t.

  “Cat person?”

  “Not so much.”

  “I see.” She didn’t. But what was she supposed to say? “Then this will be a new experience for you.”

  “Yep.”

  Enough with the clipped answers, already. She was sufficiently nervous to begin with, even without having to carry both ends of the conversation. Was this what it would be like to work with him over the next few weeks? Curt, almost brusque responses to every question she had for him?

  His attitude confused her. She knew Eli to be friendly and kind, and right now he wasn’t either. She took a deep breath and fervently prayed for guidance. And patience. It was apparent she was going to need healthy doses of both to get through the rest of this day. She stepped sideways, holding the screen door for Eli so he could maneuver around her and into the house.

  He dragged his fingers through his thick black hair and eyed the doorway but didn’t move to enter.

  “Let’s try this again, shall we?” she prompted. “Please, come in.”

  Eli stepped gingerly into the house and halted suddenly, raising his arms to shoulder level as a tan-colored whirlwind jumped out from behind the door, yipping up a storm, turning in tight circles and sniffing at Eli’s ankles. The little apple-headed Chihuahua couldn’t have been more than seven or eight pounds, but he was full of spit and vinegar, and she supposed he could appear a little startling to guests.

  Once again Mary chided herself for not locking up the dogs before Eli arrived. His disdain for, or at the very least discomfort with, this whole situation was evident in every step he took and his closed expression. She watched helplessly as Eli braced himself, his shoulders squaring as he pressed his lips into a straight, firm line.

  Mary reacted instinctively against the wave of anxiety and embarrassment that washed over her, hastily scooping the dog into her arm. She was angry at Natalie all over again for putting her in this position. Here within her own home, Mary stood, awkward and uncomfortable, when she should be completely in her element. Here with the dogs she fostered and trained, and her newly created Rapport Kennel. Here with Eli, a man she’d known since her youth and greatly admired.

  No, it was not fair, and it was not right.

  But thanks to Natalie, the situation was at best uncomfortable and at worst impossible. Not knowing what else to do, she held up the Chihuahua for Eli’s inspection. “Behave yourself, young man.”

  Eli lifted a questioning brow.

  Mary offered a confused smile and then burst into gentle laughter. “I was speaking to the Chihuahua,” she clarified. “This little guy is Goliath. His bark is worse than his bite. It might sound like he’s growling, but in truth he’s just talking to you.”

  “Good to know. Snarls aren’t a warning—they’re a welcome.” He tentatively reached a hand forward so Goliath could sniff his fingers. “On someone’s planet, anyway,” he rumbled under his breath. Mary thought he was speaking more to himself than to her, but she answered him anyway, choosing to make light of the comment, and not take it as an insult to her and her profession.

  “Yep, that’s my planet, all right.” Mary was aiming toward cheerful, although she was fairly certain she’d missed the mark by a wide distance. “My world, filled with dogs of every size, shape and form.”

  The left side of Eli’s jaw twitched. “Sounds like paradise.”

  Sarcastic much? He was about as enthusiastic about this new program as a chicken with his head on the chopping block, which left Mary to wonder, not for the first time, why he’d been chosen for the K-9 unit. Everyone in town, including Captain James, knew Eli had been jilted by Natalie. Surely it had occurred to him that the situation might lead to difficulties with the training. It had certainly occurred to her; though at the moment, she didn’t have a clue what to do to make this an easier transition for Eli. Surely he had to realize that she couldn’t help what her sister had done.

  Maybe there wasn’t anything she could do, except plow forward, right through the middle of Eli’s morose attitude. She lifted Goliath to eye level and turned the dog so she was addressing his snout. “He’s only six months old, so he’s still learning his manners. Goliath, that is not how we treat guests in our home.”

  The Chihuahua yipped once and licked Mary’s thumb.

  Eli cleared his throat and rocked back on his heels, jamming one hand into the pocket of his blue uniform slacks.

  “Captain James spoke to you?” he prodded, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand, his dark hair curling around his fingers.

  “About the new K-9 unit?” Mary nodded. “Oh, yes. I have to say, Ian is quite enthusiastic about the idea.”

  “Isn’t he, though,” Eli mumbled in agreement. He didn’t sound happy about the prospect.

  She decided not to acknowledge his lack of enthusiasm. Surely things would get better once he got to know his new partner.

  “It’s a great opportunity for you and for me, as well. I don’t know how much you’re aware of the work that I do here. I’m just now getting my training kennel off the ground. Your department is my first official K-9 program. My proving ground, so to speak.”

  “Meaning I’d better be on my best behavior.”

  His eyes lightened to sky-blue, and the strain around his mouth eased, lessening the gravity of his expression. When he looked like that, it was harder to ignore the fact that this was the man she’d had a secret, desperate crush on for so many years....

  But that was in the past. She was years past being a silly teenager crushing on the hotshot high school football star. He was a client now—the most important client she’d ever had. She couldn’t let herself lose sight of that just because he had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.

  “You’d better believe it. Are you ready to meet your new partner?” A lot of thought had gone into the pairing of dog to man and man to dog, and she was proud of what she’d accomplished. She couldn’t wait for Eli to meet his new partner, and her eagerness bubbled over in her voice. She recognized that this was one of those defining life moments she’d look back on, either with delight or utter mortification. It was all on Eli to make that call. If he lightened up, this could be good—maybe even fun. Working with a K-9 was every bit as much about enthusiasm and reward as it was about effort and exertion. Perhaps more so.

  “Sure. Whatever.” He shrugged offhandedly, as if it didn’t matter to him one way or the other whether or not he met his partner.

  Mary sighed in exasperation. Even if he wasn’t thrilled about
working with her, she thought he’d display a bit more interest in his new dog. His cavalier attitude was going to have to change, or they would never be able to work together. Where was the man with the happy-go-lucky smile for the world? Who had replaced him with Mr. Chip-on-His-Shoulder? Was it just because of Natalie, or was something else entirely wrong here?

  Mary hadn’t a clue. And it wasn’t as if she could ask. How did one even broach a subject like this?

  She paused and tilted her face up to his, her gaze lingering on him, questioning him without words. Rather than meeting her eyes, his gaze wandered to somewhere in the vicinity of her chin.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” It was an adamant denial, even though she hadn’t accused him of anything. He gestured toward the den. “I’m trying to follow orders here. Please. Lead the way.” There was an element of pleading in his tone that hadn’t been there before.

  He was giving off mixed signals all over the place—which he clearly wasn’t going to acknowledge. And if he wouldn’t, she couldn’t.

  “So we’re good, then?” she asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.” His voice was low and gruff, and his gaze turned so dark that his stormy blue eyes took on an almost black hue to them.

  She wasn’t going to solve any of their problems this way. Maybe the best thing to do was to bring out the big guns—

  —or more specifically, the Bullet.

  Copyright © 2014 by Lora Lee Bale

  ISBN-13: 9781460326107

  THE FOREST RANGER’S RETURN

  Copyright © 2014 by Lora Lee Bale

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.Harlequin.com

  A Mother’s Hope

  Three years ago, Kate Wydell made a big mistake: she ran away, leaving her baby daughter behind. Now Kate’s back in the small Alabama town, desperate to make amends. But she’s afraid to reveal who she is. Especially since her new boss, a widowed father of young girls, is the kind of parent, the kind of person, Kate hopes to be. Mitch Gillespie sings lullabies and teaches his daughters how to be their best. With every passing day, Kate falls harder for him. But once Mitch knows her secret, will she lose him—and her deepest wish—forever?

  “You just met me three days ago,” Mitch said. “How could you be ‘captivated’ by me?”

  Kate blinked back tears. “Because you’ve done it all right. You accepted responsibility and you found the courage to give your girls every bit of your life and your love. You’re a real parent. And that’s what I so wish I could be.”

  “You want to be a mother,” he said softly, as though he understood.

  But he didn’t. “I had a daughter,” she said, “nearly four years ago. She’s—” she blinked through more tears “—the same age as Dee.”

  “You had a daughter?” he asked, his voice tender with emotion. “What happened, Kate?”

  “I gave her up.” Her chin trembled, and a sucking gasp escaped.

  Her sobs tore through the stillness of the night, but they were soon smothered against the broad planes of Mitch’s chest, because he pulled her close, holding her through the pain, through the tears, and whispering the words he must’ve thought she wanted to hear.

  “I’m so sorry, Kate.”

  But he had no idea who she really was.

  Books by Renee Andrews

  Love Inspired

  Her Valentine Family

  Healing Autumn’s Heart

  Picture Perfect Family

  Love Reunited

  Heart of a Rancher

  Bride Wanted

  Yuletide Twins

  Mommy Wanted

  RENEE ANDREWS

  spends a lot of time in the gym. No, she isn’t working out. Her husband, a former all-American gymnast, co-owns ACE Cheer Company, an all-star cheerleading company. She is thankful the talented kids at the gym don’t have a problem when she brings her laptop and writes while they sweat. When she isn’t writing, she’s typically traveling with her husband, bragging about their two sons or spoiling their bulldog.

  Renee is a kidney donor and actively supports organ donation. She welcomes prayer requests and loves to hear from readers. Write to her at Renee@ReneeAndrews.com, visit her website at www.reneeandrews.com or check her out on Facebook or Twitter.

  MOMMY WANTED

  Renee Andrews

  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

  —Ephesians 4:32

  This novel is dedicated to Clair Zeringue,

  my amazing mother-in-law. I love you, Mom Z!

  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 Sixteen

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Questions for Discussion

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  Kate Wydell’s nervous fingertips rattled the pages of The Claremont News, the sound echoing through her car and magnifying her jitters. The Help Wanted section encompassed less than a column, the short list ending with the sole position for which she was qualified. Gillespie Insurance Agency needed an office assistant, no previous insurance experience required. Good people skills, a knowledge of word processing and an ability to remain calm in a crisis were the only criteria for the job.

  She had all of those office skills and then some, and over the past year she’d perfected the ability to remain calm during a crisis. Her own personal crisis had led her back to this tiny North Alabama town, a place she’d left behind three years ago without a care in the world...and without regard for her baby girl.

  Two blinks and a thick swallow warred against the tears that sought freedom. She would not allow herself to cry. Mascara streaks would only showcase the paleness of her face and the cheekbones that seemed much more prominent with the loss of fifteen pounds.

  She’d stopped at Hydrangea Park while she gathered her courage and searched the classifieds. Flipping the visor, she checked her makeup in the tiny mirror. She was healthy now; the doctor said so. But did she look sick? Had she used too much blush to compensate for her pallor? Those questions ricocheted through her head, but the biggest and most pressing question now was...

  Would Mitch Gillespie recognize her
?

  She tugged at a rogue black curl dangling precariously near her right eye. The inky corkscrew locks only drew more attention to her ridiculously fair skin. The last time she’d been in Claremont she’d had her trademark tan, an athletic build and blond wavy hair. And the last time she’d been in Claremont, she’d been married to one of Mitch’s best friends.

  Another look in the mirror. Even her family hadn’t recognized her when she’d visited. Why would Mitch?

  She took a deep breath, huffed it out. This would be so much easier if Chad were in town. Then she could tell her ex what she wanted in person and then deal with the consequences of a town that probably still hated her for hurting their golden boy. She hadn’t considered that mid-May meant the end of the school year and his break from teaching at the college, when he’d naturally head out of town on vacation. But maybe this was better. She’d get settled in while he was away and have time to prepare for the fireworks when he returned and learned she was back.

  God, don’t let anyone remember me until I get a chance to talk to Chad.

  Praying still felt new for Kate, even though she’d pleaded and begged God aplenty over the past year. Probably enough for a lifetime. And now she’d see if He would truly have mercy on her, and if Chad would have mercy on her, too.

  But first she needed a job.

  * * *

  Mitch Gillespie unbuckled Dee’s car seat and helped the three-year-old out, while Emmie whimpered from the other side of the car. “I’m coming, sweetie,” he said, taking Dee’s hand and leading her around the car so he could free her sister.

  “Why is her face so red?” Dee asked, peering in as Mitch worked with the abundance of fasteners holding Emmie in place. “’Cause she’s sick?” Dee was at an age where she questioned everything, and he tried his best to always provide an answer. “Her eyes look funny, too, like she’s sad. Is that ’cause she’s sick, too?” she continued.