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The Cowboy's Little Girl
Kat Brookes
Becoming a daddy to the daughter he never knew…A Bent Creek Blessings romanceTucker Wade's life changes forever the moment Autumn Myers knocks at his door. Not only is Autumn the identical twin of his recently deceased wife, but she's brought someone with her—the adorable five-year-old daughter Tucker didn’t know existed. Now this cowboy’s determined to prove himself as a daddy and keep his daughter…even if it means hurting the woman he's falling for.
Becoming a daddy to the daughter he never knew...
A Bent Creek Blessings romance
Tucker Wade’s life changes forever the moment Autumn Myers knocks at his door. Not only is Autumn the identical twin of his recently deceased wife, but she’s brought someone with her—the adorable five-year-old daughter Tucker didn’t know existed. Now this cowboy’s determined to prove himself as a daddy and keep his daughter...even if it means hurting the woman he’s falling for.
KAT BROOKES is an award-winning author and past Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award finalist. She is married to her childhood sweetheart and has been blessed with two beautiful daughters. She loves writing stories that can both make you smile and touch your heart. Kat is represented by Michelle Grajkowski with 3 Seas Literary Agency. Read more about Kat and her upcoming releases at katbrookes.com (http://www.katbrookes.com). Email her at katbrookes@comcast.net. Facebook: Kat Brookes (https://www.facebook.com/kat.brookes.5).
Also By Kat Brookes (#u3f0933d7-15d3-575a-91e3-6dc5a8045a45)
Bent Creek Blessings
The Cowboy’s Little Girl
Texas Sweethearts
Her Texas Hero
His Holiday Matchmaker
Their Second Chance Love
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
The Cowboy’s Little Girl
Kat Brookes
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08438-3
THE COWBOY’S LITTLE GIRL
© 2018 Kimberly Duffy
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, 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.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
It was the child’s eyes that caused his heart to lurch...
Those were his eyes. And that was undeniably the Wade family dimple that dipped into one side of Tucker’s daughter’s baby-soft cheeks.
His daughter. A barrage of emotions swept over Tucker as he stood looking down at her. He was a father. That revelation had his world tilting.
“Are you all right?” Autumn asked. “You look mighty pale.”
He gave a forced laugh. “I’m better than all right. I’m a daddy.”
“Tucker?” Autumn said, bringing him back to full awareness.
He blinked hard and then cleared his throat. “Sorry,” he said. “This is a lot to take in.”
“Would you like to call someone?” she suggested. “One of your brothers perhaps?”
The only time he’d ever come close to passing out had been when he’d gotten bucked off Little Cyclone during the Pioneer Days Rodeo up in Lander several years back. However, the little bombshell Autumn Myers had dropped on him just moments before had nearly managed to do what Little Cyclone hadn’t been able to.
Bring this Montana-bred cowboy to his knees.
Nearly.
Dear Reader (#u3f0933d7-15d3-575a-91e3-6dc5a8045a45),
Life is filled with choices. Each and every one of those choices we make takes us down a different path. Tucker chose never to marry again after his first marriage failed, living a life he thought was fulfilling enough. It wasn’t until the Lord brought Autumn into his life with the daughter Tucker never knew existed that he found himself considering a new path, wanting something more than what he’d settled for. And in doing so, he found true happiness. I believe the Lord provides us with many opportunities to find our own happiness. We just have to be willing to go in a direction that we’d never considered, or, perhaps, were too afraid to.
I hope you’ve enjoyed sharing Tucker and Autumn’s journey. Be sure to look for Garrett’s and Jackson’s upcoming stories.
Kat
Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.
—2 Corinthians 9:15
I’d like to dedicate this book to my wonderful agent, Michelle Grajkowski, with 3 Seas Literary Agency. She has been so incredibly supportive with my writing endeavors, always believing in me. She’s also a dear friend. I feel so blessed to have her in my life, both professionally and in friendship.
I would like to extend my deepest thanks to Ryan Sankey from Sankey Pro Rodeo, who offered me a wealth of information when I was researching this rodeo-cowboy series. She was always willing to answer any questions I might have without hesitation. Sankey Pro Rodeo has four Saddle Bronc of the Year PRCA awards, twelve PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year nominations, as well as many PRCA and Montana Circuit awards. They’ve been featured on ESPN, USA TODAY, Western Horseman and CMT. More information on Sankey Pro Rodeo can be found at www.sankeyprorodeo.com (http://www.sankeyprorodeo.com).
Contents
Cover (#ua1957b24-d139-5989-aef7-8ea43a63b7f3)
Back Cover Text (#u157d3708-2828-5a4c-899a-6d2d5034ec34)
About the Author (#ua8bc7f21-5fcd-5827-bea6-c54d02369a00)
Booklist (#u0d9bc2f3-6115-53f2-9190-416f055db47d)
Title Page (#u53304cce-3cbd-589d-a63a-1cd394b6361c)
Copyright (#u55aa950e-d54c-5596-9032-11705869d9fc)
Introduction (#ueee72f4c-33e9-5fb9-8b9f-e96f05667cab)
Dear Reader (#ub2d9c016-3bde-55b4-9192-b87dcaa6a14f)
Bible Verse (#u52a46396-00fd-583e-b152-8a3ebcba459c)
Dedication (#u35482434-49d7-54c7-b66f-f64221843a97)
Chapter One (#ua2dea2bc-6089-5c16-b1d3-7d0013d582a4)
Chapter Two (#ub6554881-b032-57a0-a67b-002662fb0017)
Chapter Three (#udf4a9502-9ca7-5101-a16b-95ba40955c55)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#u3f0933d7-15d3-575a-91e3-6dc5a8045a45)
A persistent knocking at the front door of his ranch house had Tucker Wade setting the half-eaten grilled cheese he’d made himself for dinner back onto the plate beside him. Dropping his booted feet from the rough pine coffee table to the wood-planked floor, he stood to answer the door.
His first thought was that it was his oldest brother, Garrett, stopping by to shoot the breeze after returning from tending to Wilbur Davies’s sick cow. Garrett, the town’s only vet, had gotten called away, leaving Tucker and his other brother Jackson—older by just one year—to see to it the horses were fed and settled in for the evening. But his brothers rarely knocked. And if they did it was a loud, firm rap on the door, not the tentative tapping that had him moving into the front entryway. Not to mention it was near dark and they all followed an early-to-bed-and-early-to-rise routine.
Very little surprised Tucker, but nothing could have prepared him for the shock of opening the door to find his long-lost wife looking up at him. A woman he’d come to accept he would never see again. Didn’t care to see again, truth be told. But there she stood, in the fiery red-orange light of the setting sun, looking every bit as pretty as he remembered and yet so very different.
The wispy blonde ponytail Summer had always worn had been replaced by a short, smooth haircut that hung longer in front than in the back. A formfitting navy skirt and matching jacket replaced her well-worn jeans and usual T-shirt. And... Tucker’s gaze dropped lower, a dark brown brow lifting. Heels? The Summer he’d known would never have worn high heels, no matter how good they looked on her. Even her cowgirl boots had low heels. But then again, he’d only thought he’d known the girl he’d exchanged vows with six years before.
All the hurt, anger and confusion he had worked so hard to suppress after Summer took off without a word threatened to surface once again. Thickly lashed ice-blue eyes—eyes that had once held only warmth, now stared back at himwith something akin to...mistrust? Him. The man she’d run out on.
“Tucker Wade?” his long-lost wife asked as if she wasn’t quite sure it was him.
A frown tightened the line of his mouth. While he’d admittedly filled out a good bit in terms of muscle, no longer the lanky, bull-riding twenty-four-year-old she’d exchanged vows with at the Laramie County Courthouse, he was pretty certain she knew it was him. What sort of game was his wife playing now?
“I’m sorry to show up unannounced this way,” she continued. “And this late in the day. But I had to meet with clients before setting out for Bent Creek.”
There it was, that same Texas twang that had drawn him to his wife in the first place. “Why are you here?” he demanded.
Undaunted by the glower he was sending her way, she met his gaze head-on. “I thought it would be best if you heard what I have to say in person, instead of over the phone.”
“Now you want to talk?” he said, anger writhing though him. “Well, this might come as a surprise to you, but I no longer have any interest in anything you have to say.”
“I can’t blame you for feeling the way you do,” she said softly, “but if you’ll just give me a chance to explain...”
“What are you doing here, Summer?” he cut in gruffly, not bothering to suppress the ire he felt toward her. He didn’t want explanations. It was far too late for that. In fact, he wanted nothing at all from his wife.
“I’m not Summer.” She looked away for a second as her voice filled with emotion. Then, looking up at him with those same silver-blue eyes he’d worked so hard to forget, she said, “I’m her sister Autumn.”
What? Tucker blinked back his surprise. First, his wife shows up out of the blue, with no warning whatsoever of her impending arrival, and then she starts spouting nonsense? Who was Summer going to pretend to be next? A sister named Spring, or maybe Fall since it was mid-October? If his wife had a sister, he surely would have known about it.
Dear Lord, give me strength, he prayed.
“I know it’s been a few years since we’ve crossed paths,” Tucker grumbled in irritation, “but I’m pretty sure I haven’t forgotten what my own wife looks like. Even with all that fancy polishing you’ve done to change your appearance.” Which he begrudgingly had to admit looked really good on her.
She stiffened. “It’s not polish. This is who I am.”
He gave a derisive snort. “You forget who it is you’re talking to. This,” he said, waving a hand from her designer heels to her pretty little head, “is who you are until you decide the life you’re living right now isn’t really what you want. Then you’ll just up and leave whoever it is who’s fool enough to care about you at that time, without so much as a goodbye, and start a whole new life for yourself somewhere else.” The jagged edge of the memory of what she’d done to him leaving the way she had all those years ago still cut deep.
She shifted uneasily. “She said you could be stubborn, but if you’ll just hear me out...”
He had no idea why his wife had to be told by someone else, whoever “she” was, about his stubbornness. Especially when she used to tease him about it when they were dating. Or had she blocked everything about him and their marriage from her mind?
“I don’t want your explanations,” he said through tightly gritted teeth. It was five years too late for that. “Go back to wherever it is you came from, Summer. You don’t have a place in my life anymore.”
To his surprise, his clipped words brought a swell of tears to his wife’s eyes. Her emotional response had him shifting uncomfortably where he stood. Maybe he had spoken a little harsher than he ought to have, but she’d done far worse to him all those years ago.
“I’m not Summer,” she insisted once more. “And she won’t be starting her life over,” she added, her lower lip quivering slightly with that announcement. “At least not here on earth. My sister’s gone.”
Had his wife suffered a head injury of some sort? Was that why she was claiming to be someone else? “Sweetheart,” he said, trying not to let the flood of emotions he felt at seeing her again show in his voice, “you’re standing right here.”
“Summer never told you about me, did she?” she asked as if she’d somehow been wronged. Then she shook her head and cast her gaze out across the yard. “No,” she said sadly, “of course she didn’t.” Turning her attention back to him, she said, “I’m Autumn Myers. Summer’s twin.”
He raised a skeptical brow. “Her twin?”
She gave a slight nod. “Yes.”
