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  Their eyes held for a brief moment, sending an errant thrill through her body that had nothing to do with business.

  “At that point Terrie said she wanted the name Bonnie put on the birth certificate. She begged me to find Buck so he’d know he had a daughter.”

  Maybe it was the dim light of the office, but lines of what could be interpreted as exasperation mixed with sorrow gave Cole’s hard-boned face an almost haggard appearance. She had to remember he’d attended a funeral earlier in the day. The mention of Terrie’s death must have triggered emotions still close to the surface.

  Catherine could relate. She was still in pain and shock that the teen she’d grown so close to in the last year was gone, and wouldn’t be able to raise her little girl. Life could be cruelly unfair to some people-

  “What’s the name of the hospital where she delivered?”

  “Reno Regional.” Her voice caught.

  “When was the birth?”

  “June twentieth.”

  “Five weeks old already?” He echoed her concern.

  She nodded.

  “The only reason she hasn’t been adopted yet is because she was born five weeks premature. For a while she was on a ventilator and had to be fed through an IV. They had to recreate conditions in the womb. She also had a bad case of jaundice and had to be placed under lights.”

  Catherine had spent every possible minute with Bonnie after work and on weekends, touching her through the holes of the hospital incubator until she could hold her and feed her the special formula. She couldn’t love her more if she’d given birth from her own body.

  “Where’s the baby now?”

  “In a temporary foster home awaiting adoption.” That familiar jabbing pain tore at her heart. “A newborn baby is in such high demand, Bonnie will probably find a permanent home with an adoptive family within the next week. That’s why it’s necessary I speak to Buck right away.”

  “Provided he’s the father,” his voice grated.

  “A DNA test will put the matter to rest one way or the other,” she reminded him, though of course he didn’t need to be told that. “The hospital already has the results on Bonnie. It’s a routine procedure for prospective adoptees.”

  Cole rubbed the back of his bronzed neck. She had the further impression he was near exhaustion, unknowingly soliciting her sympathy. Whoever had died must have been a close friend.

  A strange sound escaped his throat before he sat forward in the swivel chair. “I’ll arrange for Buck’s DNA to be sent for comparison.”

  “Can you ask them to put a rush on it?” She knew he had the clout to light fires.

  “I’m as anxious to clear this up as you are,” he ground out. “What was Terrie’s last name?”

  “She went by Cloward with a C. That’s on her records both at Girls’ Haven and the hospital. But I’m sure she made it up, since she told the café manager it was Markham. No doubt Terrie told Buck something altogether different. They both had their secrets,” she lamented, surprising a troubling bleakness coming from his eyes.

  “In case he pretends not to recognize her description, I have a photograph you can give him. It was taken before she was showing. In this one she’s not wearing makeup or clothes that tend to make her look older.”

  She pulled it from her purse and handed it to Cole, who studied Catherine intently several seconds before looking at it.

  “You’re right,” he eventually murmured. “She’s attractive in the way a girl is who’s standing on the brink of womanhood.”

  Despite Terrie’s history, Catherine could tell Cole could see what Catherine had seen in her…a young, troubled teen in need of help. A girl much like Catherine had been once upon a time. The knowledge caused her to warm to him unexpectedly.

  “Buck’s charm managed to turn her into one.” Catherine tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but failed. “She said he was her first experience, and that it was wonderful. He was wonderful. Tender. Again, those were Terrie’s words. I-I have to admit I was glad for that at least,” she stammered.

  “You believed her?”

  “Yes.” She drew in a quick breath. “Terrie had no reason to lie about him. Not after admitting to breaking several laws. But it doesn’t really matter. The fact is, she loved him and died of a broken heart long before the infection became impossible to stop.”

  Reaching in her purse, she pulled out more photos. “These show Bonnie in the premie ICU, hooked up to all those tubes.”

  He reached for them.

  “Newborn pictures never do a baby justice, especially when they have as hard a time as Bonnie. You can see her swollen eye and how yellow she is there, poor darling.”

  Silence filled the office while Cole took his time studying them.

  “Here’s one I took of her two days ago. If this is any indication, she’s going to be a real beauty like her mother.”

  While he examined it she said, “Am I allowed to ask a question now?”

  Slowly he lifted his dark head. “Go ahead.” His voice grated.

  “What’s his marital status?”

  His face closed up. “He was married two months ago.”

  “That news would have killed Terrie,” she whispered. “Assuming he is Bonnie’s father, I can’t imagine him wanting to claim her now. But on the outside chance that there’s a part of him wanting to do the right thing, then I-”

  Before she could finish the rest of her sentence, Cole was on his feet, stunning her with the speed that had propelled his powerful body out of the chair.

  “I have something to do before any more time passes.” He reached for his suit jacket, where he pocketed the photos. “I’ll call you in Reno to morrow,” he said, grabbing for his tie. “Give me your cell phone number.”

  She wrote it on her business card and handed it to him.

  He came around the desk and accompanied her to the door, moving with that careless male grace that distinguished him from other men. Like a wall of heat, she felt the sweep of those silvery flecked eyes.

  “Your bill’s been taken care of. Have a good sleep and a safe trip home, Catherine.”

  “Bonnie had her mid-morning bottle but she still fussed before going to sleep. She gets all excited when you come, and misses you when you’re not here. It’s amazing!”

  Uh-oh.

  “What’s her schedule like?”

  “She’s eating every three hours.”

  I know. I was there from the beginning.

  Catherine had just driven in from Elko. Normally she would have gone to her condo and showered before starting her work day. But she hadn’t seen Bonnie for twenty-four hours. Driving to the ranch and back had made it feel like she’d been gone a week. Babies changed every day. She envied Carol Wilson for being able to take care of her on a round-the-clock basis.

  Unable to restrain herself, she kissed the baby’s cheeks several times before raising up. “She looks con tented now. I’ll be by again tomorrow, Carol.”

  The best part of Catherine’s job was to visit the foster parents and check on the babies. But her pleasure had become pain because Bonnie didn’t belong to her.

  Assuming Buck was the father, and he wanted his daughter, then they had the God-given right to be with each other and Catherine would have to find a way to live with it.

  But if he gave up all parental rights to her…

  “She’s a sweetie pie,” Carol said, walking Catherine to the front door. “Makes me baby-hungry again, but Phil says three children are enough.” She winked. “Between you and me, this one’s going to be hard to give up. I swear I couldn’t do your job or I’d want to take every baby home with me.”

  Catherine murmured something appropriate and hurried out to her car. The last thing she wanted was for Carol to witness her emotional turmoil. Already she was wondering how she would make it through the day while she waited for Cole Farraday’s phone call.

  She had an idea the man could move mountains. When he called, he would
have news for her, and he’d deliver it in that deep, cultured voice. Anticipating even talking to him again made her feel breath less.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  AS IT turned out, she didn’t hear from him until she got home from work at six-thirty that evening. She’d just stepped out of the shower and changed into a T-shirt and jeans when her cell-phone rang. The caller ID indicated out of area, which might or might not be the call she’d been waiting for all day.

  She clicked on, aware her pulse was racing. “This is Catherine Arnold.”

  After a pause, “You do realize that in answering the way you do, you give any crazy out there more information than you might want him to know.”

  Her hand tightened around the phone while a fire and ice sensation spread through her body. It was a little like eating crème de menthe on top of vanilla ice cream.

  In truth no man had ever shown her this kind of concern before. She was so used to fending for herself. Cole Farraday’s unexpected comment reminded her he was that exceptional kind of male who would protect his own to the death.

  What would it feel like to be loved and taken care of by a man like that for the rest of your life? Catherine couldn’t comprehend it any more than she could imagine what it would be like to have a mother and father, or siblings.

  “You’re right, but since a lot of troubled teens phone me when they’re most vulnerable or des per ate, I want them to know they don’t have to go through a third party to find me.”

  “Point taken, Catherine. No offense,” he murmured.

  She sank down on the edge of her bed, attacked by a sudden weakness. “None taken.”

  “Are you still at work?”

  “No. I-I’m home.” Her voice faltered.

  “Alone?”

  Did he ask that question because he wanted to keep their conversation private, or was she hoping something of a more personal nature was behind it?

  “Yes,” she said quietly. “Do you have news for me yet?”

  “I do, but I need to see you in person.”

  So the Buck he knew was Bonnie’s father! Otherwise he would have told her there was no DNA match and she could check at the hospital for the results herself.

  Did it mean Buck wanted to see his daughter?

  Torn by conflicting emotions, she jumped to her feet. “When can you be in Reno?”

  “I flew in this morning.”

  Her heart leaped. He’d been here all day? Now she wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow. “Where are you?”

  “I’m just leaving the hospital. For the sake of everyone concerned I’d prefer to meet you in private.”

  Catherine felt the same way. After pressing her lips together she said, “Come to my condo. I’m in a fourplex south east of the hospital.” She gave him the address and instructions to get there. “It’s a little complicated.”

  “I’ll find you.”

  She had no doubt of it.

  With a fluttery feeling in her chest, she clicked off before racing back to the bathroom to fix her freshly washed hair and change into a cotton shirt.

  Cole’s first thought when he walked into her cozy living room was that she was even more beautiful than he remembered from the night before. The dusky rose of her top, pulled down over white pants covering womanly hips, blended with the blush of her complexion.

  Like a gossamer curtain, she’d allowed her hair to fall loose from a side part. It swished against her shoulders with each step she took.

  Following the long line of her shapely legs to sandaled feet, he could find no flaw in the way she was put together, let alone her color scheme.

  “Won’t you sit down?” She indicated the couch opposite the chair she’d claimed, ensuring some distance between them. Cole had the distinct feeling the awareness between them was growing stronger for her too.

  Though she presented a poised, professional attitude, he sensed a barely sup pressed anxiety coming from her, apart from her eagerness to get straight to the point.

  She couldn’t afford to get this involved with every case, otherwise she’d burn out from the intensity. If she’d spent a lot of time in the premie nursery with the baby, it would explain why she’d become so emotionally attached.

  It was a situation beyond the norm-an occasional hazard in her line of work, he surmised. She’d said her visit to the ranch was unofficial.

  Who would have imagined his brother being at the core of Terrie Cloward’s heartbreak and ultimate demise?

  “Buck’s the father, isn’t he?” The question brought him back to the source of his bone-deep sorrow with a jolt.

  “Yes. His paternity’s not in question.”

  She sat forward. “Did he fly here with you?”

  Cole detected a distinct throb in her voice. Her behavior was all the more intriguing in spite of his pain. “No. His DNA results were faxed from the hospital in Elko.”

  She stood up, evidently too restless to stay seated. “Does that mean he didn’t want anything to do with Bonnie, even when he discovered he had a daughter?” she cried.

  Something earth shaking was going on inside her to lose control like that. Join the club. Dear God.

  How in the hell would Buck have responded upon learning he was a father? Poor Lucy… Still in the honeymoon stage, who could say how she would have handled the shock? With news of that nature even the strongest marriage would be tested to the ultimate degree.

  The questions bombarded him, bringing him to his feet. “Since I can’t speak for him,” he began solemnly, “I can’t honestly answer you.”

  Catherine faced him with an incredulous look. “What do you mean, can’t? Surely when you told him he needed to go to the hospital to have the DNA test done, he knew exactly why?”

  He massaged the tight cords at the back of his neck. There was something he needed to do before this went any further.

  “I’d like to see the baby, then I’ll answer all your questions.”

  She searched his eyes in bewilderment before shaking her head. “My hands are legally tied. Only the father can have access, or, in the unlikely case of his death, his next of kin.”

  Cole inhaled sharply. “You’re looking at him.”

  A myriad of emotions chased over her face until comprehension dawned. Then she gasped softly. “The funeral-”

  He gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head. “My youngest brother, Patrick Farraday. Killed in a riding accident out on the range last week. Our father called him Buck at an early age and it stuck.”

  She clung to the back of the chair. “But you said it was the owner of the Bonnibelle who-”

  He wasn’t destined to hear more, because a moan had escaped her throat, preventing the rest from coming out. She’d finally put the pieces together.

  “Until his recent reformation, my little brother didn’t always do the right thing-as you’ve already discovered. But for all his faults and virtues, he was my brother and I loved him.”

  Her eyes grew suspiciously bright. “Naturally you wanted to protect him. You did a superb job of it, Mr. Farraday.”

  “So did you,” he riposted. “Another person in your official capacity might have taken it into her head to expose some of the family secrets last evening, damaging Buck’s fragile widow.”

  She searched his eyes. “They’d only been married two months?”

  “That’s right. After working on a relative’s stud farm outside Reno part of last summer, I told him he was needed at home. To my surprise he actually showed up without an argument. When he arrived he declared his partying days were over. Evidently something had happened to make him realize he’d been going in the wrong direction.”

  His eyes caught hers. “Now we know what it was. In one of his sober moments, he must have realized his mistake in getting involved with someone as young as Terrie. At least I’d like to think so. A couple of months later he announced his engagement to Lucy, the girl who’d been crazy about him for years.”

  Catherine rubbed her arms. “Ho
w old was Buck?”

  “Thirty last birthday.”

  “It’s too tragic,” she whispered.

  He nodded. “A double tragedy considering Terrie died so recently. I’d like to see Bonnie tonight.”

  His request seemed to startle her. “It’s too late to make arrangements with her foster family. But, more to the point, it’s my professional opinion it wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  Cole shifted his weight. “Good idea be damned. She’s a Farraday. She has a birth right she shares with uncles, aunts and cousins.”

  Catherine studied him through veiled eyes. “Nevertheless, you’re grieving the loss of your brother. You don’t need this to compound it, not when she’s going to be adopted. It would be better not to put yourself in a position where you could form an attachment.”

  His teeth ground together. “Simply knowing I have a niece, I already feel attached to her. You gave me pictures of her I’m not likely to forget, remember?” he challenged.

  She stiffened. “At the time I didn’t realize you were her uncle.”

  He stifled an oath. “Without proof from the DNA, neither did I.”

  “Look, Mr. Farraday-” She spread her hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Let’s not make this any harder than it is. Terrie asked me to find Buck. I’ve honored her wishes, and my heart goes out to you and your family. But the reality is, Bonnie’s a ward of the court. A judge will decide her new home.”

  He had to tamp down his temper. “It will never take the place of that spot of earth her ancestors settled and gave their life’s blood for.”

  “But would it be her home if Terrie hadn’t died?” She held her ground with surprising tenacity. “Do you honestly believe your married brother would have wanted visitation rights?”

  From the first Cole had been asking himself that question. “The reformed Buck would have,” he theorized. “But since both parents are gone the point is moot. It’s a new playing field.”