Cowboy's Baby: A Secret Baby Ranch Western Cowboy Romance

by Crowne, K. C.

  Cowboy's Baby

  A Secret Baby Ranch Western Cowboy Romance

  K.C. Crowne

  Copyright © 2020 by K.C. Crowne

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  Mountain Man's Secret Baby (Preview)

  About the Author

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  Mountain Men of Liberty Series (this series)

  Baby for the Mountain Man| Junior for the Mountain Man| Knocked Up by the Mountain Man| Baby For Daddy's Friend | Triplets for the Mountain Man | Taboo Mountain Daddy|

  Rainbow Canyons Cowboy Series

  Untamed Cowboy |Taboo Cowboy |Cowboy’s Baby

  Big Bad Daddies Series

  Big Bad Doctor | Big Bad Daddy| Big Bad Taboo Daddy | Big Bad Prince|Big Bad Mountain Man| Big Bad SEAL| Big Bad Boss| Big Bad Sugar Daddy| Big Bad Mountain Brothers

  Bearded Brothers Mountain Man Series

  Her Mountain Daddy| Beauty and the Beard| Bride and the Beard| Built and Bearded |

  Firemen of Manhattan Series

  Big Bad Fireman’s Baby| Big Bad Firefighter| Big Bad Fire Daddy|

  Spenser Sisters Reverse Harem Series

  Men on a Mission| Christmas with Four Firemen| Dirty Cowboys

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  Description

  The beauty needs me to heal her wounds.

  To help her remember her lost memories.

  But, for the first time in a long time,

  I feel an uncontrollable attraction.

  And I can't ignore it.

  I need to make her mine.

  A secret from her past could change everything.

  Will the angel carrying my child disappear into darkness...

  Just as quickly as she came into my world?

  Chapter 1

  WYATT

  “That,” I said out loud to myself, “was a scream.”

  A woman’s scream, more precisely. I narrowed my eyes and focused, trying to pinpoint where the hell it might’ve come from.

  At first, I had no idea what the sound actually was. It was sharp and quick, high-pitched and piercing. It almost reminded me of a loud, squeaky fence. But the sound was loud enough to cut through the roar of the wind. I glanced at the sky; the storm clouds were rolling in fast, blotting out the sunshine. Thunder boomed like a cannon, and lightning crackled across the sky.

  I heard it again, jerking my head around as I tried to find the source. I placed my hands on the fence and stared in the direction I thought it might be coming from. The sun was low and dim and almost covered, making visibility harder by the moment. Oak trees dotted the expanse of the property, the greens of their leaves whirling in the strong wind.

  I needed to figure out what I was hearing and get to the bottom of this random mystery. Could be one of the guests at the property, someone who’d had a little too much at the bar and decided to go for a lovely little stroll in one of the worst damn storms of the year. Idiot move.

  Didn’t matter. If someone was in trouble, I had to find them. Then I’d give them a piece of my damn mind. Ranch guest or not, stupid was stupid in my book. This was no damn weather for strolls. I patted the wood post of the fence and glanced toward the house, which was much more inviting than wandering about in a thunderstorm.

  I felt determination well up inside of me. Someone might’ve taken a fall, hurt themselves bad. As a veterinarian, I’d had enough training to help a human patient if the need arose.

  My heartbeat quickened and adrenaline coursed through my body when I thought I heard a rustle. I started off in the direction of the scream. I’d always had an easy time keeping a cool head in a crisis, and today was no exception.

  The rain started as I walked in the direction, which would make the search just that much more of a pain in the ass. I swear it dropped an inch as I searched the area in response to the stranger’s distress call. I pulled my father’s old shearling coat tight around me, the wind kicking up again and making the world in front of me a blur of sideways rain.

  Texas had its high points –figuratively and literally- but the damn weather sure as hell wasn’t one of them. Sure, it could be pretty damn picturesque during the spring, which lasted about a month before the summer heat slammed into the area. Fall was lovely, though it stayed hot until Halloween, and winter varied in temperament. Sometimes a sun shining, seventy-degree day was immediately followed by a blustery, rainy, forty-five-degree day. During those days, I preferred to be inside next to the fire in the living room of my ranch looking out at it. Legs propped up, cup of coffee in my hands as I let the stress melt away. Hell, maybe even a little whiskey in the coffee if the mood was right.

  Working in the nonsensical weather of Texas? That was a whole other thing. Searching for some tourist who had no idea what the weather here was like? Frustrating as hell. The wind whipped hard enough to make me hold onto the brim of my cowboy hat unless I wanted the damn thing to fly off my head. But that was life out here – you didn’t choose living on a ranch unless you didn’t mind roughing’ it. And I certainly didn’t.

  To my right was the ranch I shared with my family, Rainbow Canyons. Truth be told, calling it a “ranch” didn’t really seem to fit. Sure, there were plenty of animals – my favorite thing about it – but the house itself was as big as a damn mansion. The lights glowing inside gave the place a homey feel, and the idea of being next to the wood burning fire with a hot mug of coffee came back to my mind. I let out a loud groan of frustration. The coffee would have to wait; I had bigger things to worry about. Namely, the woman in trouble.

  Better not be no damn hammered fool.

  I kept on moving, my breath coming out in thick puffs in front of me. Not only was it raining, it was probably less than
forty degrees. I passed one of the horse stables and briefly considered taking out Thunder, my stallion. But I thought better of it, figuring I didn’t need to subject both of us to the damn cold if I didn’t have to.

  I swear, some of these out of town city guests wouldn’t know how to survive in an outdoor sporting goods store if they had to. Besides, the scream had sounded like it had come from somewhere nearby –not likely I’d need Thunder to get there.

  I walked further, my mind going back and forth between thoughts of getting to the woman and what I’d discover when I found her.

  Might’ve just been one of the ranch hands seeing a damn snake or something.

  I tried to tell myself this ridiculous lie, but it didn’t settle right in my mind. I was a details guy. I knew everyone who worked at the place, and the voice hadn’t sounded familiar.

  I turned my attention back to the landscape as I moved. Rainbow Canyons wasn’t exactly isolated, but it was a good drive from the closest town. If the woman who’d screamed was someone I didn’t recognize, I’d sure as hell want to know how she’d ended up here.

  Moving up the sloping hill to the west of the ranch, I trudged on. And as I did, my eyes scanned in every direction, trying to spot the girl. A tinge of dread moved through my body as I considered the idea she might be lost, having fallen in a rocky ravine hidden to strangers but well-known to those of us who’d grown up here.

  I cupped my hands in front of my mouth and yelled. “Hey! Anyone out there?” Didn’t do me much good in a storm like this one. Even with my deep voice some likened to Sam Elliot’s, the driving rain and intermittent thunder covered it.

  I picked up my pace, reaching the top of the bluff. It was a good vantage point despite the lack of visibility. I glanced back toward the house, briefly wondering if I should head back and see if my brother Silas was available to help in the search. But time was a factor and I couldn’t risk the delay in the event the person I’d heard really was in trouble.

  I trained my gaze as I turned in place, but I saw nothing.

  “Damn, girl,” I muttered under my breath. “You’ve got to be here somewhere.”

  Then I saw something off in the distance near the tree line of the property oaks. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was, only able to make out a swatch of dark red against the stark trees. I started off in as quick of a run as I could manage in the rain, drawing closer and closer to the red among the trees. And as I did, the form began to take on the shape of a person. I could see the red jacket, along with a white knit cap on a head of auburn hair.

  It was a woman, alright. And just like I’d suspected, she wasn’t one I recognized. She lay face-down on the ground. My gut feeling about moving fast was correct. I rushed to her side and squatted down next to her. I placed my hand on her back, jostling her gently, careful not to exacerbate any injuries she might have suffered. “Hey, you okay?” A ridiculous damn question, for sure. No one who was remotely okay would be face-down out in the open in a thunderstorm.

  She didn’t respond. With a gentle heave I turned her over, and I sure as hell didn’t expect to see what I saw.

  This woman, whoever she was, was causing reactions in my body that I’d never experienced so easily for a stranger, and an unconscious one at that. She had to be damn near the most stunning creature I’d ever seen in my life. I was taken aback by a heart-shaped face, adorned with skin so fair she could be a Disney Princess. Raindrops landed gently on her face and neck, tiny drops dripping down her neck and chest. Her clothes were soaked through already, a testament to the driving rain.

  Her body was shapely and full. Even with her large winter coat, I could see the luscious curves from her chest down to her hips. With force, I had to move my gaze back up to her face. My eyes landed on her lips, full and pale and wet from the rain. Her auburn locks covered her right cheek, and for a moment I felt a selfish urge to move the luscious strands to the side so I could have an unobstructed view of this perfect picture of beauty before me.

  She was unreal.

  Like a flood, questions consumed my mind and my protective instincts kicking in. Who was she? How the hell did she end up here?

  “Hello,” I said again. “You with me?”

  No response. This was bad.

  I said a silent thanks that I had medical training. I took off my glove, the cold biting instantly, and placed two fingers on the delicate curve of her neck. There was no pulse, and her chest wasn’t rising and falling with breath. I looked over her face again for any sign of what the hell might’ve happen to her. But other than being tinged red from the cold, there was no injury I could easily see.

  As much as I wanted to figure out what the hell happened to her, this was the time to act. I unzipped her coat, revealing a yellow and black checkered flannel shirt with a pair of gorgeous, perfectly shaped breasts underneath.

  For the second time in the last few minutes, I forced my gaze away from her curves. Inappropriate thoughts were the last thing I needed in my head right now. If this woman was going to live, I needed to get her breathing immediately.

  I pressed my hands down on her chest and pumped hard, starting CPR. Her body jerked as I did, but she still didn’t respond. I leaned down and placed my lips on hers, ignoring how much I enjoyed their softness. Her lips were cool and lush. I breathed in once, twice, then three times before rising and pressing on her chest a few times more.

  “Come on, girl. Don’t you go dyin’ out here in the cold like this.”

  I pressed again and again and continued for what felt like an eternity. Alarm flooded my body until finally something happened. At the moment my lips were about to touch hers again, her eyes opened wide – stunning greens that shone brightly even in the low sun. She leaned up and sucked in a sharp gasp of air, her wet hair hanging around her face.

  “Easy…” My voice was stern but calm; I didn’t want to terrify the poor thing any more than she likely already was, barely back into consciousness like that. Her eyes darted around, her expression one of panic. I placed my hand on her shoulder, trying to keep her steady. “Are you alright? You really gave me a scare.”

  She sucked in several breaths, and they began to slow as she regained her composure somewhat. “Where…where am I?”

  “OK,” I said. “You’re talking. That’s good. Now, I’m gonna take you to the house and call for an ambulance. Can you get up on your feet?”

  She snapped her eyes onto mine. “Who are you?”

  “I’m one of the owners of this property you stumbled onto.” I could barely hear my voice over the rain, which was falling steadily as the wind picked up. Thunder boomed, jolting us both. The middle of a violent storm wasn’t the best place to have a getting to know you conversation. “Can you get up?”

  “I…I think so.”

  I didn’t wait for her to try. I slipped my arm around her waist and heaved her up to her feet. As I did, I couldn’t help but notice there was more to this woman than her curves –she was built solid, like she had some muscle on her body.

  Once she was up, I steadied her. “You think you can make the walk?”

  “I can try.”

  I took my hand from her and stepped back, giving her a chance to move on her own. She placed one foot in front of the other, but when she tried for her second step she wavered, losing her balance and nearly falling over.

  “Alright, easy,” I soothed. “I’m gonna help you. Stand still.” After stepping to her side, I slipped my arm around her waist again.

  “I can walk on my own, thank you,” she told me, sounding uncomfortable and possibly afraid.

  “Now, I’m all for letting a woman walk on her own two feet – literally, in this case. But you’re not looking too steady. So come on and let me help you. You weren’t breathing just a minute ago and we need to get you outta this storm.”

  She regarded me with a skeptical expression before nodding. I put my arm back around her.

  “Now, it’s a little bit of a walk. You up for it?”


  “Yeah, ah…I think I can handle it.” She was pale, and her wide eyes looked like a deer’s that had been caught in the headlights.

  “Then let’s move.” Before we started off, I reached forward to zip her coat back up. She stopped me before I could.

  “I can do it.”

  I raised my palms, signaling to her to go for it. Once she was zipped back up, I held her close and the two of us began moving. “Hell, this storm’s a bad one.”

  “I haven’t seen one like this in a while,” she commented, though her voice sounded unsure of the simple observation.

  I kept her body pressed against mine as we trudged through the muddy path we had to take to get to the house. She was cold, and my protective instinct flared up yet again as I considered the possibility of what might’ve happened if I hadn’t been there to find her.

  We made it about halfway to the house when she stumbled, nearly falling over again.

  “Come on – almost there.”

  She turned her groggy eyes up toward the massive house as it appeared in the distance. “That’s your house?”

  “Yeah, that’s my house. Live there with my family. Come on.”

  We continued, and every step or so I’d glance in her direction to see how she was holding up. But the longer we walked, the more I realized she needed real medical attention – like the hospital kind, not a vet like me checking her out in my living room.