Cowboy Daddy Read Online Free PDF Page A

his gaze. She shook her head and fought the urge to sigh. A cowboy. Just her luck.
    She managed to open the bottle and pour without spilling more than a drop or two. When she handed him the glass, he took it carefully, as if he were trying to make sure they didn’t touch. The tension between them was obvious. Anne glanced down at Laurel. The girl stared up at her.
    “Do I pass inspection?” Anne asked, forcing herself to speak with a teasing tone.
    Laurel smiled slowly and nodded. “I wondered what you would look like. Sometimes I’d like stare in the mirror and think about if we had the same hair or something. Daddy says I have your mother’s eyes.”
    “That’s true. You and I both have freckles.”
    Laurel wrinkled her nose. “Do you hate them, too?”
    “All my life.” Anne grinned, then walked over to the entertainment unit and picked up the small photo she’d been given the day before. “I think you and I have the same smile.”
    Laurel moved to her side and glanced down. “Really?”
    “Yes.” Anne could feel the teenager’s warm arm casually brushing hers. She wanted to pull her close and hold on forever. She forced herself to act calmly, all the while fighting new and wonderful maternal urges.
    Laurel looked at her. “You have to smile now so I can see if we do.”
    Anne laughed.
    “Gee, you’re right.” Delight flashed in her eyes. She sipped her soda. “I can’t wait to call my friends and tell them about meeting you.”
    Anne caught her breath. This moment, more perfect than she had ever imagined, made her want to cry out with gratitude. She’d never thought she might actually meet the child she’d given up all those years ago. She’d never allowed herself to do much more than mourn. Of course she’d left information available so that Laurel could find her. But she’d half feared her child wouldn’t be interested in her birth mother. She’d never thought she’d be with Laurel any sooner than her eighteenth birthday.
    Laurel looked at her father. “What do you think, Dad? Same smile?”
    “I see the similarity.” His words sounded stiff.
    “Similarity.” Laurel chuckled. “I know that one, but he’s always using big words to improve my vocabulary.” She shook her head. “I have to ask him what they mean and he tells me to look them up in the dictionary. But I can’t spell the words enough to find them, and I never learn what they mean.” She rolled her eyes.
    Anne returned her conspiratorial grin, then made the mistake of glancing at Jake. He stood beside the wet bar, clutching the glass of wine so tightly she feared he would snap the delicate stem. Their gazes locked and his cold rage threatened to freeze her into oblivion. His intensity shocked her and her laughter died. She fought the urge to step closer to Laurel and protect her from her father’s wrath. She understood his need to stake his claim, even as she resented his selfishness. Would it be too much to ask him to share her for an hour?
    “I should see about dinner,” she said, then ducked into the kitchen.
    Once alone, she pressed her hands against her flushed cheeks. She didn’t want to know that this was difficult for Jake Masters. Just thinking about his assumption that she would expect to be paid to see her own daughter made her want to march right back into the living room and tell him to leave.
    But she couldn’t. Partly because she had taken the money they’d offered thirteen years ago. Even knowing that she’d had every right to accept the payment and that she had needed it to pay her medical bills didn’t stop the feeling of shame.
    Anne checked the oven. Despite the summer heat, she’d chosen to make a roast. The built-in rotisserie made the entree foolproof, and the way her apprehension had shattered her concentration, she’d been concerned she wouldn’t be able to handle anything more complicated. The meat was almost ready. She sniffed the pleasing scent and closed the door.
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