His Texas Runaway

Chandler hardly needed to be alone with Roslyn DuBose. Not in the way Trey was suggesting. But he did need time to make sure she was capable of leaving the clinic under her own power. “I’ll see you in the morning. At six. Remember? We have to be over to the Johnson ranch to geld his colts.”

“Six. Yeah, I’ll be here.” He screwed his hat down tighter on his head and started out the door. “You can tell me all about Ms. DuBose then.”

* * *

Roslyn pushed herself to a sitting position on the couch and glanced curiously around Dr. Hollister’s office. The room was nothing like her OB’s plush office and definitely nothing close to the luxurious suites that made up her father’s corporate law firm back in Fort Worth.

Rectangular in shape, this office had a bare concrete floor and walls of whitewashed cinderblock. A large metal desk with a leather executive chair took up most of the left-hand side of the space. Two wooden chairs sat at odd angles in front of the desk that was used for consultations, she supposed. Although, the seats were presently filled with an odd assortment of clothing and leather riding tack. To the right of her, metal cabinets and shelves were loaded with boxes of medications and other medical supplies, while straight in front of her the wall was covered with an endless number of photographs, all involving animals. Most of the images were of horses, taken either in the winners’ circle at the racetrack, or in an arena next to a trophy-presentation table. Along with the horses, there were pics of dogs, cats, raccoons and opossums.

The man clearly had an affinity for animals, she decided. And he had no need to surround himself with a lavish work area. The fact impressed her, almost as much as the gentleness of his hands and the kindness she’d found in his eyes.

She was still thinking about him when he suddenly walked through the door carrying a plate of food. As he moved toward her, she found her gaze riveted to his striking image.

He was at least an inch or two over six feet, and his shoulders were so broad they stretched the denim fabric of his Western shirt to the limit. As her eyes followed the line of pearl snaps down to a square, silver belt buckle, she noted that his lean waist was a huge contrast to the breadth of his shoulders. Long, muscular legs strained against the work-worn denim.

Lifting her gaze, she studied his rugged features, which were made up of a square chin, and a jaw, covered with dark, rusty stubble. Beneath the gray cowboy hat, his hair was dark enough to call black and lay in thick waves until it reached the back of his collar. His eyes were vivid blue, like the sky after a hard rain, and framed by thick black lashes. The effect of his gaze was disconcerting, but then, so was everything else about the man.

“I found something for you to snack on,” he said, offering her the plate. “Eat what you can. It’ll help revive you.”

“Thanks. I am rather hungry.” She picked up the chicken leg and a paper napkin from the plate and began to eat. Halfway through, she paused to glance at him. “As soon as I eat, I’ll be ready to leave. I don’t want to keep you any longer than I already have.”

He relaxed against the corner of the couch and crossed his boots out in front of him. The hems of his jeans were ragged and stained green with manure, while the pant legs were covered with dust and splotched with something dark, like blood. She didn’t have to wonder if he was a hardworking man. It was evident from the burnt brown skin of his face, his calloused hands and dirty clothes. Even though Fort Worth was known as “Cowtown,” and she’d seen plenty of men wearing boots and Stetsons walking the sidewalks, she’d never been close up to a man like him. His masculinity roared at her like a lion warning her to beware.

He said, “Don’t worry about it. This is normal hours for me.”

She took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the chicken. “Have you had this clinic very long?”

“Twelve years,” he replied. “It’s my second home.”

“Where’s your first home? In town?” The questions came out of her before she could stop them. But thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind.

“No. I live about twenty-five minutes from here. On Three Rivers Ranch.”

“You have a ranch?”

“Partly. It’s owned and operated by the Hollister family. My brother Blake is the general manager, but my mom has the final say-so over everything.”

She shook her head. “Sorry. I’m being nosy.”

“Not really.” He gestured toward the mound of baby covering most of her lap. “When are you due?”

“About four weeks. That’s why I’m...making this trip now, before there’s a chance I might go into labor.”

“I’m not an OB, but I’d say there’s a chance you might go into labor sooner than that.”

Her cheeks burned with hot color. “I just look that way because I’m—I’ve gained a little extra weight these past couple of weeks.”

“No. I don’t mean you look big. It’s just the way you’re carrying. But like I said, I’m not an OB.”

No. But he’d probably seen plenty of pregnant animals, she thought. Oh, God, what was she doing here in this Arizona town, without one friend or acquaintance within a thousand-mile radius? Had she lost her mind?

No, you’ve not lost your mind, Roslyn. You’ve finally found it. Along with the guts to be your own person, live your own life, deal with your own mistakes.

“I should be fine until I get to California,” she said, wishing she felt as positive as she sounded.

“You have relatives there?”

She didn’t know a single person in California. She’d chosen that state because it was as far west as she could get from Texas. Also, her late mother, who’d originally lived in Redding, had left Roslyn a small house and piece of property there.

“No. I, uh, own a place in Redding.”

“That’s where you intend to settle?”

The chicken leg eaten, she put down the plate and he handed her the carton of yogurt. It was topped with blueberries, one of her favorite flavors.

“That’s my plan. I’ve never been there before, but I’ve heard the town is pretty.” Oh, Lord, why had she told him that? Now he was probably thinking she was completely irresponsible and chasing after pipe dreams. But this man’s view of her wasn’t important. Once she walked out of this clinic, she’d never see him again.

“Uh, I guess you’re wondering why I’m traveling alone. Without a man.”

“The question did cross my mind,” he admitted.

Her gaze fell to his left hand. There was no wedding band on his finger. But given the man’s occupation, he might choose not to wear one. He could be going home to a woman tonight. One that would be waiting for him with a smile on her face and love in her heart. Or was that sort of fairy-tale life even real? She wondered bitterly.

Dipping the spoon into the yogurt, she said, “I’m not married. And don’t plan to be—at least, not anytime soon. The baby’s father turned out to be a first-class jerk. So he’s out of the picture. Completely.”

He stroked a thumb and forefinger over his chin as he regarded her thoughtfully. “That’s...unfortunate. The baby needs a daddy. There isn’t any chance—”

“No!” she blurted before he could finish. “Shortly after he learned I was pregnant, he signed away all his paternal rights to the child. Since then, he’s already moved on and married someone else.”

“Is that the way you wanted it? Surely making him pay child support—”

Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t need or want his money. Not that he actually had any money of his own, anyway. Besides, it’s more important to me to have him totally out of my child’s life.”

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.”

The empathy in his blue eyes was more than her frazzled emotions could bear and she purposely dropped her gaze to the yogurt. “Well, better now than later.”

She began eating the yogurt, but it took effort to get each bite past her tight throat. She needed to get out of here, she thought—away from his perceptive gaze and unsettling presence.

After a long stretch of silence, he asked, “Have you already made reservations for a room in town?”

Focusing on the yogurt, she scooped out the last bite. “Uh, no. With it being early spring before vacationers hit the highways, I was hoping there would be plenty of vacancies.”

“I’m sure there will be. But I...”

When he failed to go on, she looked up. “What? Is there some place in town I shouldn’t stay?”

A faint smile tilted the corners of his lips. “No. That wasn’t what I was about to say. I was thinking it would be far better if you’d come home with me.”

Chapter Two

Chandler watched her eyes grow wide, her jaw drop. No doubt she was thinking he was some sort of pervert with a fetish for pregnant women. And he could hardly blame her.

It wasn’t like him at all to invite a woman, a stranger at that, to spend the night at his family home. In fact, he’d never done such a thing. Sure, he’d taken home plenty of strays to nurture. But none of those strays had been the two-legged kind with pretty brown eyes and a shy smile.

“Home—with you?” she asked, her voice little more than a squeak.

“I’m speaking as a doctor, Roslyn. You’ve just suffered a fainting spell. I’d feel better if you weren’t alone,” he reasoned.

Her head began to swing back and forth. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, Mr. Hollister, but I don’t know the first thing about you.”

Lifting his hat from his head, he thrust a hand through his hair, then levered the hat back in place. His body was crying for food and a bed. But he was a long way off from either.

“Then I’ll tell you a few things. The Hollister family has lived in Yavapai County for more than a hundred and seventy years and have owned and operated Three Rivers Ranch for just as long. My younger brother Joseph is a deputy sheriff for the same county and my sister, Vivian, is a park ranger over at Lake Pleasant State Park. Holt, another younger brother, has the reputation of being one of the best horse trainers in the southwest. And our mother, Maureen, is tougher than all her kids put together.”

“Earlier, you mentioned your older brother, Blake. The ranch manager. I assumed he was the only sibling you had.”

The surprise in her voice suggested she wasn’t from a large family. He wanted to ask her if that was the case, but decided now was hardly the time.

“The Hollisters are a big family and we’re all very close. I failed to mention I have another younger sister besides Vivian. Camille is living in the southern part of the state on one of our other ranches, Red Bluff. As for Three Rivers, Blake and his wife and three children live there, along with me, Holt and Mom. Vivian and her daughter used to live there, too, but she married recently and moved up to Camp Verde. So you see, there will be plenty of chaperones around the place.”

“It sounds like you have a reputable family,” she said after a moment. “And it’s very hospitable of you to offer, but I’d feel like an intruder. A room in town will be perfectly fine.”

“Not if you start feeling ill and need help. Trust me, we have plenty of spare rooms in the ranch house. Along with a cook and a housekeeper. You won’t be an intrusion. Far from it. Mom loves company. We all do.”

She didn’t reply and Chandler could see she was softening to the idea.

“I’m a stranger to you,” she argued, but with far less enthusiasm. “For all you know I could be dishonest. A con woman or some evil person out to steal you blind.”

Long years of working with the public had taught Chandler all about people. Sometimes it wasn’t easy to see a person’s true character. Other times all it took was a look into their eyes. He’d spotted plenty of emotions in Roslyn’s brown eyes, but none of them had been close to sinister.

“You’re not a con woman. You’re alone and driving cross country, when you really should be home with your feet up,” he added pointedly.

She winced at his last remark and Chandler decided then and there that she was most likely running from someone. If it wasn’t the baby’s father, then it had to be someone who’d been putting pressure on her. He hated to think a lovely girl like her had reached such a point in her life. Moreover, if he was smart, he wouldn’t get involved with her, even for one or two nights. But Trey had hit the mark when he’d said that Roslyn seemed “kinda lost.” And Chandler was a sucker for any animal or person who needed to find their way back home.

“Okay,” she said, relenting. “I can see you’re a gentleman. And it would be nice to really rest for a night.”

Chandler was more than pleased at her answer. He was downright joyous. It was a reaction that had the sensible side of him silently cursing. What the hell was he thinking? He didn’t have time to concern himself with the welfare of a pregnant runaway.

Still, Chandler couldn’t keep a grin off his face. “Great. I’ll get busy locking up the clinic and then we’ll head on out to Three Rivers. While I take care of things you might want to visit the ladies’ room. It’s a long, bumpy ride to the ranch.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

He rose from the couch and offered her his hand. “Let me help you down the hall. I want to make sure you’re steady on your feet before I leave you on your own.”

She laughed. “If you’re this attentive to your animal patients, you must have a whopping business.”

The sound of her laughter was genuine and sweet, and eased some of the fatigue from Chandler’s weary body. “Let’s just say I can’t remember a day when my schedule wasn’t booked solid.”

With her little hand wrapped around his, he helped her from the couch and purposely kept a steadying hold on her elbow.

“Are you dizzy?” he asked. “Do your legs feel sturdy enough to support you?”

“Oh, yes. I’m feeling much stronger now. I can make it on my own.”

In spite of her insistence, he held on to her until they reached the door to the restroom. “Take your time,” he told her. “And when you’re finished, just wait for me up front in the waiting area.”

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Roslyn was sitting in the passenger seat of Chandler’s truck. Her overnight case, filled with everything she needed for a night’s stay, was sitting behind her, on the back seat.

“Sorry about having to leave your car, Roslyn, but part of the road to Three Rivers is rather rough. I promise it will be safe parked behind the clinic. There are security cameras all around the property and I’ve never had anything vandalized or stolen. Besides, I really don’t think you’re up to driving another twenty or so minutes.”

Sighing, she rested her head on the back of the seat, while thinking how nice it felt to have this big, strong man handling everything for her. Even if it was just for this short evening.

“I’m not worried about my car. It’s covered with tons of insurance. Besides, once I get to where I’m going I plan to trade it in for something more practical.”

Roslyn had never wanted the Jaguar to begin with, but Martin, her father, had always insisted she had to drive a luxury car, not some cheap, middle-of-the-road compact. Otherwise, everyone would get the idea that the law offices of DuBose, Walker and Finley were going broke.

The idea had her silently snorting. If her father never earned another penny in his life, he’d still have an obscene amount of money stashed away in several banks. At the age of seventy he was still driven by his work, still obsessed with adding more power behind his name and seeing his fortune grow. But all the wealth or notoriety of Martin DuBose hadn’t been able to buy his wife’s health or to keep her from dying. Maybe someday he would realize that, she thought sadly. Perhaps one day he might regret the time he could’ve been spending with his wife and daughter, instead of in a courtroom.

Chandler said, “Everyone on Three Rivers has to be practical and drive a truck. After a while the rough road would shake a car to pieces.”

“Is your home that remote?” she asked.

“We have a few neighbors, but there are miles in between all of us.”

“I’ve always lived in the city.” She peered out at what little she could see from the path of the headlights. Now and then they passed groups of mesquite trees, or a ragged patch of prickly pear. Otherwise the countryside appeared open and bare. “I do wish it was daylight so I could see everything. This is the first time I’ve been in Arizona.”

“What do you think so far?”

“It’s beautiful. And rugged. And wild.”

He tossed a grin in her direction. “You left out hot. It gets as hot as hell here.”

“Well, Fort Worth isn’t exactly cool in the summer months.” She’d not meant to come out with that, but what the heck. It didn’t matter if Chandler knew where she was from. He wasn’t going to broadcast the information.

“I noticed the Texas plates on your car. I’ve been trying to figure out what part of the state you might be from. I know it’s so big that it’s referred to in regions. North, south, east and west. I know some folks from South Texas, but they don’t sound like you.”

“That’s right. I was born and raised in North Texas.”

“But now you’ve left. Any regrets?”

“There will be places and people I’ll miss,” she confessed. “But no. No regrets.”

“The Hollister family has been rooted here for so long I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

“Your sisters must feel differently about that,” she said thoughtfully.

“Well, love changes some people. Vivian is happy to live on the reservation with her husband. Now Camille is just the opposite. She’s avoiding Three Rivers and Wickenburg because of a lost love. Or so she thinks.”

A lost love. After Erich gave her an engagement ring and vowed his undying devotion, Roslyn had discovered he’d had been seeing other women. And with that shocking discovery, she’d believed she’d lost the one love of her life. But soon afterward, she’d realized she’d not lost anything. Rather, she’d escaped making a giant mistake with a man who knew nothing about real love.

“Men think with their heads. Not their hearts,” she murmured more to herself than to him.

“Not always.”

That brought her head around, and as she studied his profile, which was illuminated by the dash panel lights, she wondered if he’d ever trusted his heart to a woman and had it broken. She couldn’t imagine him grieving over a broken romance. She could, however, imagine him having passionate sex without promises or strings attached.

“Are you married, Dr. Hollister?”

His short laugh was an answer in itself. “No. I barely have time to eat, much less see after a wife and kids.”

For some inexplicable reason, his response saddened her. It shouldn’t matter to her that this man was completely devoted to his career. “Well, it’s good that you know your limitations.”

“Hmm. I didn’t know I had limitations. I just thought I was a busy man.”

She forced herself to smile. “Sorry. You’ll have to overlook me. I’m rather tired and things aren’t coming out of my mouth exactly right.”

“Well, just a few more miles and we’ll be at Three Rivers. You can put up your feet and eat some of Reeva’s good cooking.”

Three Rivers. Each time he spoke the name it was like he was speaking of a place close to heaven. And for this one night that was exactly what she needed.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Chandler helped Roslyn into the house. After depositing her in a comfortable chair in the den, he went looking for his mother.

“Mom! Are you in here?” he called as he entered the large kitchen located at the back of the house.

Reeva, a tall slender woman in her early seventies with a long salt-and-pepper braid, was standing at the sink. She looked over her shoulder at him and frowned.

“You’re filthy and I’m shutting down the kitchen.”

“Tell me something I don’t know. Like where is Mom.”

“She’s down at the foaling barn with Holt. Better not go down there. You know that they’ll put you to work and you don’t look like you can stand on your feet much longer.”

After working on Three Rivers for too many years to count, Reeva was crusty and cranky and very astute.

“Well, I’m going to have to call her up here because I’ve brought company home with me. And I’m not sure where to put her.”

Reeva turned away from the sink to level a speculative glare at him. “Company? ‘Her’? Have you brought a mama dog home with you?”

“No. This is a girl. A pregnant girl.”

“Oh, Lord.”

At that moment, the back door of the kitchen opened and Maureen Hollister entered the room. She was dressed in her usual work attire, which consisted of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and cowboy boots. Her chestnut hair was slightly threaded with silver and pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head. At sixty-three, she was ageless and beautiful. She was also the glue that held the Hollister family together.

“Mom, thank God, you’re here.” He crossed the room and latched on to her arm. “You have to come with me. There’s someone in the den waiting to meet you.”

As he pulled her out of the kitchen, Maureen shot him a comical look. “Son, please tell me you’re joking. I can’t deal with company tonight! We’ve been branding calves all day and then one of Holt’s mares, Tootsie, finally decided to give birth. And you know how he feels about that mare—you’d think his own child was being born. And—”

As they headed down a long hallway toward the den, Chandler pulled his mother to a halt. “Mom, I know it’s late. And I know you don’t need anything else to deal with tonight. But this girl—I just couldn’t leave her there at the clinic. She needs rest and a woman’s touch right now.”

Her expression softened. “Oh, Chandler. Don’t tell me you’ve brought home another stray.”

Rather than trying to explain, Chandler gave his mother a tired smile. “Just come to the den with me.”

When they entered the long room, Roslyn was sitting in an armchair with her back to them. But as soon as she heard their footsteps on the parquet floor, she rose to face them.

“Oh, my!” Maureen gasped. “You’re a woman!”

“What were you expecting, Mom?” Chandler asked wryly.

She slanted Chandler a reproving look. “A dog with pups. Or a pregnant cat. Or a mother raccoon with her kits.”

Leaving her son’s side, Maureen rushed over to Roslyn and reached for her hands. “Hello. I’m Maureen Hollister,” she said, introducing herself. “And you are?”

She smiled tentatively at his mother, “I’m Roslyn DuBose,” she said, then cast Chandler a hopeless look. “And I’m sorry to interrupt your evening like this. I tried to tell your son that I’d be an intrusion, but he insisted on bringing me out here.”

“Roslyn has been driving for long hours and she had a little fainting spell,” Chandler explained. “I thought she needed a quiet rest where someone would be around if she experienced another light-headed spell.”

Roslyn continued to look apologetic and Chandler wondered if she was unaccustomed to asking people for help. Or maybe she simply felt awkward because she was among strangers. Either way, Chandler wanted her to trust him and his family. She needed to understand she was safe here.

She glanced at Maureen. “I could’ve gone to a motel, Mrs. Hollister, believe me.”

Maureen immediately wrapped a supportive arm around Roslyn’s shoulders. “Oh, honey, I’m so glad that you didn’t. You’re not in any condition to be staying by yourself. And company is always welcome here at Three Rivers. Did you bring a bag with you?”

Before Roslyn could answer, Chandler said, “I left it at the stairwell. I’ll carry it upstairs. Which room?”

“The one across from Vivian’s old room should be fine. I believe Jazelle freshened it up only a few days ago.”

Maureen urged Roslyn forward and Chandler followed them out of the room and into another hallway that intersected with a wide staircase.

“Where’s Blake and Katherine and the kids?” Chandler asked his mother as he picked up Roslyn’s case and proceeded to climb the steps behind the two women.