of the will, his brother had turned over management of the place to their father—against all his grandfather’s wishes.
Where were those dogs? Nathan whistled again and then listened. He heard Buck the coonhound baying from somewhere nearby. Buck never bayed like that unless he had a critter cornered.
Hell. It was just another chore that would have to be attended to before he could start his day.
Nathan strode forcefully toward the dogs’ commotion, wondering if he would need a rifle to dispatch whatever kind of critter could have wandered into one of the barns. He hated the thought of killing a hapless wild animal and decided to try shooing whatever it was back out into the woods without deadly force. He just hoped the damned thing wasn’t a skunk.
By the time he reached the dogs, his ranch foreman was coming from around the other side of the barn with a rifle already in hand.
“Hold it, Mac. Take charge of the dogs, and let me see what we’ve got cornered before we go tearing in, guns blazing.”
“Okay, boss. It’s your skin.” With a grin, Mac grabbed the three dogs by their collars and held tight.
Nathan shook his head and entered the largest hay barn. Was he being foolish to come unprotected? Stopping right inside the door to pick up a pitchfork, he cautiously walked down the long center aisle while being careful to check both right and left among the huge stored hay bales.
Toward the end of the aisle, right before the entrance to the tool storage area, Nathan heard a strange noise. He stopped and listened intently. What was that sound? It wasn’t like any animal he’d ever encountered. Then after a few seconds he took that sentiment back.
The noise sounded for all the world like the mewling cries of a newborn kitten. Jeez. The dogs were going nuts over a new litter of kittens?
Just in case he was wrong, Nathan hefted the pitchfork in both hands and crept quietly around the half wall on his way to the main storage room and the cries.
What he saw on the other side of the wall stopped him cold—not kittens. There, hunkered down in the hay, was a gorgeous woman cradling a fussy newborn infant in her arms.
After finding his voice, he cleared his throat and tried to calm her. “Uh, excuse me. Miss. Um. Mrs …”
The woman blinked her eyes and then jolted straight up, pointing at the pitchfork. “Oh, don’t hurt us. Who are you? I …” Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed into the hay.
Worried about the infant’s safety, Nathan dropped the fork and swooped up the child before it fell out of its mother’s arms.
What the devil had he gotten himself into now?
Chapter 2
Susannah blinked open her eyes and found the tall, slightly scary man bending over her with Melody in his arms.
Frightened but ready to fight like a tiger for her child, she came up swinging. “Give her to me!”
“Whoa,” he said as he backed away. “Hold on there. I’m not trying to hurt you or your baby. You fainted. I was worried about you both. Are you all right?”
“I …” Light-headedness made her unsure of herself. “Um. I guess I’m okay. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten. Maybe that’s the problem.
“Please give me the baby.” She tried to stand, and the whole world tilted.
Reaching out, she found a post that she could hang on to while she waited for the room to quit spinning. Her stomach churned as she felt the blood drain from her face.
“Look, you don’t seem too steady. Maybe I should keep your child until you get your feet under you.”
She plopped back down on the hay. “I guess you’re right. Just give me a minute.”
“Stay right where you are. I’ll call for help.” He turned and disappeared beyond the half wall.
Oh, no. He was either calling the cops to come arrest her for trespassing or he was calling the Devotees to pick up their runaways.
As usual, she’d made a hash out of May’s very good plan. How could she get out of this sticky situation? Oh, yeah, if all else failed, she could lie.
Nathan was halfway to the front of the barn before he realized he still had the baby in his arms. He hesitated and looked down at her.
Tiny, the little babe couldn’t possibly be more than a few days old. And the baby was quiet. Since he’d been holding her, she hadn’t cried once.
In fact, this child seemed too quiet.
Looking her over, he couldn’t find anything obviously wrong—no cuts or bruises. Her color was a little off. She seemed drugged.
His niece had never been so quiet when she was this age. Of course his niece—well, Sara had always been different than most. Logically, he knew that. And though she was seven now, he figured he’d end up comparing her to every baby he met from now on.
“What’d you find, boss?” Mac stood at the front of the barn, peering toward the bundle he carried in his hands as if trying to decide what kind of dangerous critter they’d discovered.
Walking toward his foreman, Nathan shook his head. “Not a critter. But we need help. Put the dogs up and call the house. See if Maria or Kathryn can get down here right away. Tell whoever to bring a bottle of water.”
Mac wrinkled up his forehead. “What the hell?”
“Put the dogs in the pen, Mac. I don’t want one of them jumping up to see what I’ve got.”
“Okay. Right away.” Mac turned and started off toward the dogs’ pen.
“And make that call!”
Nathan turned around and headed back toward the mother. He didn’t want to venture too much farther while carrying this small child. Poor little baby. When he’d first seen the two of them huddled in the hay, they’d looked like two lost angels—both gorgeous and wide-eyed.
The mother was one of the most striking women he’d ever seen, with her long, dark hair and porcelain skin. Stunning, even though her eyes had been filled with fright, she looked like a strong wind could blow her over.
Now that he’d had a chance to look closer at the child, however, he noticed a wide reddish mark on the side of her head and neck. She was still a beauty. Almost a spitting image of her mother.
“Don’t worry, little one,” he whispered. “I’ve got you now. I won’t let anything happen to you or your mom.”
The baby never stirred as he carried her back to where her mother waited. When he ducked around the half wall, the woman tried to stand again. She wobbled and went down on her backside
“Don’t try to move.” He knelt on the hay beside her. “Wait till help arrives. One of the women will be out shortly. Your baby is right here. See? Safe.”
She
