Lights, Action...Family!

“It’s the best date I’ve ever been on,”

Reese assured Sophie, his niece. “And are you having fun?” Reese turned to his other “date” for the evening.

“I always have fun here,” Emily said. “The Goodtime Café is the best place in town for a date. All the high school kids come here.”

“And then they fall in love,” the child said. “And then they get married and have babies.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s how it happens,” Emily agreed, but averted her eyes from Sophie’s very attractive uncle who was sitting across from her.

Reese smiled and Emily’s heart skipped a beat. “I guess you could say the café has a reputation for bringing people together,” he said, silently challenging her to meet his gaze.

He was flirting with her. Suddenly the music stopped and the room grew quiet….

Lights, Action…Family!

Patricia Thayer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

PATRICIA THAYER

has been writing for sixteen years and has published over twenty books with Silhouette. Her books have been nominated for the National Readers’ Choice Award, Virginia Romance Writers of America’s Holt Medallion, Orange Rose Contest and a prestigious RITA® Award. In 1997, Nothing Short of a Miracle won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Special Edition.

Thanks to the understanding men in her life—her husband of thirty-plus years, Steve, and her three grown sons and two grandsons—Pat has been able to fulfill her dream of writing romance. Another dream is to own a cabin in Colorado, where she can spend her days writing and her evenings with her favorite hero, Steve. She loves to hear from readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 6251, Anaheim, CA 92816-0251, or check her Web site at www.patriciathayer.com for upcoming books.

To Daralynn.

You are a wonderful wife to my son, and mother to my grandsons, Harrison and Connor. Even when things get tough, you take them in stride with your unwavering strength and determination…and always with love.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Chapter One

The Arizona territory, June 6, 1904

Today, my beautiful bride, Rebecca, and I found the perfect home site, a lush valley surrounded by majestic mountains. This is where it will all begin….

Jacob’s Journal

From the top of his jet-black Stetson, to his oversize belt buckle, right down to his scuffed Tony Lama boots, he was all cowboy.

Emily Hunter should know because she’d been around them all her life, the real and the phony. And, oh yes, he was definitely of the real variety.

She leaned against the café counter and boldly eyed the man who filled the doorway. He had broad shoulders covered by a sand-colored Western shirt, washed-out jeans encased his narrow hips and long muscular legs. She raised her gaze to his chiseled face and deep-set eyes, and hoped he would come closer so she could see their color.

The stranger gave her a quick nod in greeting and suddenly her heartbeat sped up. Before she could reciprocate, he turned away as a little girl appeared at his side. She had a tousled mass of brunette ringlets that circled her round face. Her eyes mirrored her father’s including the long black lashes.

The man took his daughter’s hand as they made their way to the counter. He effortlessly lifted the tiny girl onto a seat. She seemed to be about four years old and was as cute as could be. Of course, just look at her father. And look she did as he pulled off his hat, revealing thick, nearly black hair and dark-as-midnight eyes. He straddled the stool and rested his large forearms on the counter.

Emily quickly halted the direction of her thoughts. The man was married with a child, for heaven’s sake. She went off to fill two water glasses, reminding herself she was here to work. After she graduated college she’d thought her days as a waitress were over. Then a good family friend, Sam Price, owner of the fifties-style diner, Good Time Café, needed someone to fill in when his regular waitress called in sick. She had a few days to kill until things were set up at the Double H, so why not?

With her best smile, Emily set the water in front of her customers. “Good morning,” she said as she handed the man a breakfast menu. “What can I get for you?” She met the stranger’s dark gaze and found breathing difficult.

Darn if he didn’t look even better close up.

“I’ll have coffee to start.”

She turned and took the pot off the warmer. After she placed a mug of the hot brew in front of the man, she looked at the child. She was wearing a faded pink cotton T-shirt that was wrinkled and too big. So her dad wasn’t a fashion expert. “And what will you have to drink, milk or juice?” she asked the little girl.

“Bring her milk,” the man said, then glanced at the child. “Sophie, what do you want to eat?”

The tiny girl looked up with dark eyes that seemed too large for her face, then silently shrugged her shoulders. Emily decided the shy youngster needed a little coaxing.

“Sophie. That’s a pretty name,” she began. “I’m Emily. It sure is nice to meet you. You must be what…about four years old?” The girl nodded. “You know when I was about your age my daddy used to bring me here. My favorite thing was Sam’s blueberry pancakes.” She leaned closer to the child and whispered. “You want to try some?”

When there wasn’t any answer, the stranger said, “My niece is a little shy with strangers.”

Reece McKellen didn’t expect Sophie to answer the waitress. She hadn’t said more than a few dozen words to him since she’d come to live with him nearly a month ago. Not that he blamed her. She’d been through far too much for a child. If it were possible he wanted to erase all the bad from her short life. Right now, it was going to be a full time job trying to reassure the child that he wouldn’t abandon her like everyone else in her short life.

“You can bring us both the blueberry pancakes and two glasses of milk.”

“Good choice,” the waitress said and tossed him another smile.

Reece watched the pretty brunette walk off and felt a stir of awareness. She had large blue eyes and a full wide mouth that would tempt any man. Her fitted uniform outlined a shapely body and her long trim legs got his blood pumping. He shifted on his stool. A month ago he wouldn’t hesitate to give someone like Emily his full attention, but his once solitary life had changed drastically in a matter of weeks.

Now, he had the responsibility of his niece. Somehow he had to figure out how to take care of a child and fulfill his commitment on this new job.

Already the social worker assigned to his niece’s case wasn’t happy that he had taken Sophie out of state and on location for the next few months. But what else could he do? He needed to make a living, and more importantly, he needed to make a permanent home for Sophie. And that was the reason he came to Haven, Arizona.

Reece took a sip of coffee, and looked down at Sophie. She was a miniature version of Carrie when she was that age. A slow ache settled in his chest. Although he might not be the best choice for a father, he wasn’t going to renege on a promise again.

Emily felt the man’s formidable presence all the way from the end of the counter. She tried to ignore it, but no such luck. She picked up their orders from the pass-through window and carried the food to the counter.

“Here we are, two blueberry pancake specials,” she said, surprised to find she was eager to see the little girl’s reaction. She set the first plate down in front of the man then turned to Sophie.

“Sam does a treat when special girls come in.” She set down the stack of pancakes topped with a whipped cream smiley face decorating the top.

“See, Sam drew you a picture.” She enjoyed the child’s surprised look. Emily glanced at the uncle. “I hope you don’t mind the whipped cream.”

He gave her a half smile. “Not at all. As you can see, Sophie here could stand a few extra calories.”

Emily had many questions about her new customers, but they were none of her business. The two were just passing through town. “Where are you headed?” she asked, assuring herself she was just making conversation.

The man poured maple syrup over his pancakes. “Right here.”

“You’re moving to Haven?”

“Temporarily.” He dug into his stack and took a bite. “I’m working outside of town for the next few months.”

Okay, now the man peaked her curiosity. Besides, living in a small town, it was hard to stay out of everyone’s business. Maybe he was going to work for one of the ranches in the area, though it would be unusual for anyone to be hiring extra hands during the summer. She wondered if his work would be nearby and if she would be running into him often. Well, it really didn’t matter where he would be working or how good-looking he was. She had other things on her plate right now.

Her career had to take first priority in her life.

“Well, good luck,” she said and walked away. Emily grabbed a rag and began polishing the other end of the empty counter.

The Good Time Café, with its good food and friendly atmosphere, was a popular hangout in town, and had been for years. But at ten o’clock on a weekday morning the place was deserted. The cowboy and the cute little girl were the only diners at the moment.

Actually after the busy shift, Emily was glad for he reprieve. In truth, she’d been distracted all morning. She couldn’t wait to get back to the ranch and see what was going on. Had her brother finished building the replica homestead? Had the film crew arrived? Every day for the past two weeks, something new and exciting had been going on. When Sam asked her to fill in at the café, she hesitated, but decided she needed to get away from the project. She also knew that her brothers, Nate and Shane, weren’t unhappy to see her go. They both wanted her out of their hair.

So she’d been a little excited about the project. It wasn’t every day that she got her screenplay, Hunter’s Haven, made into a movie. And it was being filmed right where the original story took place, at the Double H Ranch. Excitement surged through her as she made her way over to the jukebox. She reached into her pocket for some quarters. After inserting them into the machine, she selected some of her favorites from Sam’s oldies-but-goodies songs, and the silent room was soon filled with the voices of The Temptations singing “My Girl.”

Emily began to sway to the easy rhythm as she danced though the tables to the red vinyl booths that lined the windows. Outside, she noticed the dusty, crew cab truck with a trailer parked in the lot across Maple Street. She noticed the plates weren’t Arizona, but couldn’t make out the name of the state.

The music ended and was replaced by another song, a blues ballad by Percy Sledge, “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Emily moved to the music as she cleaned, then turned and caught the cowboy’s reflection in the mirror over the counter. He took a long sip of coffee as his attention settled on her.

Emily froze as her eyes locked with the stranger’s. The sultry singer’s voice seemed to create an intimacy between them, and neither seemed to want to the connection to end. But then Sam suddenly called her name.

Embarrassed, she jerked her gaze away and went to the kitchen window angry with herself for letting the cowboy get to her. The man was only going to be around temporarily. And she had to stay focused on her movie.

After answering Sam’s question, she returned to her tasks and found little Sophie watching her. Emily couldn’t help but be drawn to the child’s solemn expression. They exchanged looks as she continued her work, keeping time with the rhythm of the jukebox tunes. Finally the child gave a half smile, which disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

Emily walked behind the counter. “Well, how was your breakfast?”

“Great,” the cowboy told her as he pulled bills from his wallet. “We better get going.” Just then the girl tugged on her uncle’s sleeve causing him to lean down to her level.

The man glanced up at Emily. “Ah, where’s your rest room?”

“In back,” she said. “If you want, I’ll take her.”

The man looked doubtful. “Sophie, will you let Emily take you?”

The girl’s eyes widened, then she nodded.

“Okay, Sophie, come with me.” Emily held out her hand and together they walked down the hall. After the child finished, Emily made sure she washed her hands and face, and decided to do a little more grooming. She went to retrieve her purse from the cabinet in back.

“How about if I brush your hair?” When the child didn’t object, Emily put her in front of the mirror and gently drew the brush through the tangled ringlets. “You have such pretty curls.”

Once the child was freshened up, they returned hand in hand to the front of the cafe where the uncle was waiting. “Thank you,” he said as Sophie took his hand.

“No problem. We girls have to take care of each other,” Emily said, realizing she didn’t want them leave.

“I guess we should go now.” He reached for his hat. “Thanks for your help… Emily.”

“My pleasure,” she said, meaning it. “Maybe I’ll see you around town.” Whoa, where did that come from?

“I doubt it. I’m going to be pretty busy. You could help me with some directions, though.”

“Sure, where are you headed?”

“The Double H Ranch.”

Emily tried not to react. Was Nate hiring? “I doubt they’re hiring right now.”

“I’ll take my chances. Do you know the way?”

“Just head back out to the highway and go east about ten miles until you reach Hunter Ridge Road. Turn left and go another mile and you’ll run right into it.”

He nodded. With a tug on the child’s hand, they walked out the door. Sophie looked over her shoulder and waved shyly with her free hand.

Something tightened around Emily’s heart. Through the window her gaze followed them as the man helped his niece into the truck. Both the truck and trailer looked like they’d covered a lot of miles. Was that where they lived while traveling from job to job? Where was the child’s mother and father?

“Sam!” she called, pulling off her apron. “I need to get back to the ranch. Can you handle things on your own?”

The husky man in his late fifties stepped out from the kitchen. He scratched his head. “Emily, I really could use your help during the lunch shift.”

“Margaret can handle it,” she said.

“Sure but, Em, you know Shane and Nate can handle things….”

“I know that. I’m not going back to bug them, I’ve got to talk to Nate about giving a man a job.”

After a stop at the store for some groceries, snacks and drinks, and to gas up the truck, Reece headed out of town toward the Double H. This new job wasn’t going to be easy to pull off. Not with a child in tow. The stunts were pretty basic, just some trick riding. But Reece had a child depending on him now and his commitment to Sophie changed everything. He’d signed on for the stunt job before he even knew of his niece’s existence. The producer, Jason Michael, had just about begged Reece to work on this movie. If the producer hadn’t been so persistent, he’d never have agreed to take the job. Jason had assured Reece that they’d work out housing and childcare once he arrived on location.

Reece’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. He wished he had a permanent home for Sophie now. Hopefully after this last job, he could head to Texas and buy that small ranch he’d always wanted. And he could make a home for Sophie.

Suddenly years of guilt washed over him as distant memories came flooding back. His sister, Carrie, had been three years his junior. He wasn’t sure if they even had the same father. However, if they’d had the choice, neither one of them would have claimed Gina McKellen for their mother. No matter how bad it got, Carrie and Reece had had each other. When their mother took off, child services stepped in and they’d been separated. Reece had promised he’d find Carrie wherever she wound up and that they would be together again.

He’d been out of foster care a while before he finally located her. Bitter and street tough, Carrie had hooked up with a bad crowd, and hadn’t wanted his help…until her death. And then he’d been shocked when he’d learned that his sister wanted him to raise her only child.

So at thirty-two Reece had suddenly become a parent. He hadn’t thought twice about taking Sophie. She was his family. And he hadn’t realized how much that mattered to him until he’d gotten to social services in Dallas and saw this tiny, lost-looking kid. She looked up at him with those big brown eyes and said, “Unca Reece” and his fate was sealed. At that moment Reece vowed that he’d give her the home he was never able to give Carrie.

He might not be the best father material. God knew he hadn’t had much experience in that department, but Sophie’s chances were better with him than in foster care. Now, he just had to make a permanent home for his new charge. His one bedroom apartment in L.A. was only passable for the social worker. Owning his own ranch had been his plan for years, and the reason he’d gotten into stunt work.

He had an eye on a small place in West Texas where he could breed horses and maybe run a few head of cattle. Although he’d saved about everything he could, he still hadn’t accumulated the amount he needed. So this job for Jason Michael’s Production should about get him the rest of the money, and convince the caseworker, Mrs. Reynolds, that he was serious about making a home for Sophie. But for now, since he didn’t have permanent custody of his niece, he’d had to get permission to bring Sophie to the movie location. He also had to report in, and might even be visited by the local child services authorities.

Reece blew out a long breath. Job number one was to find suitable housing for Sophie and himself while they were in Haven. Then he had to find someone to take care of Sophie while he worked on the movie set. His thoughts turned to the waitress. She would be good with his niece, but he doubted she would give up a permanent job to baby-sit. And with the sparks that had flashed between them back at the café, she would be one complication too many. He already had enough to deal with with Sophie and the new job.

He just hoped Jason had those details all worked out.

Seeing the sign, Reece turned onto the road that led to the Double H Ranch. He gazed out the window at the view. The rust and brown hues of the mountain range stood out against a rich blue sky. It was breathtaking. Although he was a Texas boy, it wouldn’t be a hardship enjoying this beautiful country for the next few months.

Reece drove under the archway that announced the ranch’s proprietor Nate Hunter. Envy ate at him as rows of white fencing, surrounding a bright-red barn along with several white outbuildings appeared. To his left a horse trotted around a large corral, reminding him that his own mounts, Toby and Shadow, needed attention.

A yellow, two-story house trimmed in white came into view. There was a circular driveway lined with multicolored flowers that led to a huge wraparound porch adorned with a wooden swing and several wicker chairs. The whole scene was an invitation to just sit and relax.

“Look at the big house,” Sophie gasped from the back seat.

“It sure is big,” he answered, enjoying her rare stab at conversation.

“And pretty flowers,” she whispered.

Reece smiled as he headed the truck toward where a posted sign directed the film crew to the back side of the barn. There were a few cars there, but not any crew. Great. He had two horses that had been confined in a trailer longer than they should be. He parked under a large tree, shading the truck from the hot August sun and turned to Sophie.

“Hey, sweetie, I need to get Shadow and Toby out of the trailer. So you stay here. I’ll leave the air on so you should stay cool enough. Okay?”

She nodded. “’Kay,” she answered and grabbed the raggedy bear off the seat and hugged it. Since the day he’d met his niece, she’d been inseparable from her stuffed friend. It had been the only toy the child had with her. And although Reece had taken her to a toy store, she hadn’t found anything she wanted to replace the bear. By some miracle he’d managed to get her to leave it in the truck while they went into the café.

He climbed out, walked to the back of the trailer and lowered the gate. Usually on a movie location, he just bunked in the truck cab, but he couldn’t do that with Sophie. Movie companies often supplied housing on location, but such accommodations were reserved for the headlining actors. Stunt people never received such preferential treatment. He had no idea what kind of arrangements Jason had made for him. He just hoped it was close to the ranch, and a suitable sitter for Sophie.

He walked up the ramp to the horses he had trained to do the stunt work. “How are you guys doing?” he spoke in a soothing voice as he ran a hand over Toby’s rump. A high pitched whinny told Reece that both animals wanted out. Now. He unfastened Toby’s reins, then gently nudged the horse to back up. It took some time, but he got the horse down the ramp. Toby immediately began to dance around in the grass, letting Reece know he wanted to run.

“Sorry, fella, there isn’t time right now.” He led the horse to the corral fence and tied him there and went back to the trailer.

He was bringing a black mare, Shadow, down the ramp when he heard a female voice say, “I see you found your way.”

Reece swung around to find the brunette waitress standing beside the trailer. This time she was dressed in jeans, boots and a blue blouse that matched her eyes. Damn, if she didn’t look even better than she had in her uniform.

“Yeah, thanks for the directions.” He led Shadow to the corral railing and tied him securely. He glanced over his shoulder to discover the woman was following him. “Look, if I led you to think you and I could…get together…I’m sorry. Like I said I’m going to be real busy—”

Her back straightened. “You think I followed you because I want to start up something with you?”

“Look…it’s not that I’m not interested, it’s just that I’ve got my hands full right now.”

Emily was fuming. If he hadn’t been tending to his horses she would have hauled off and smacked him.

“Pretty sure of yourself, cowboy,” she said from between clenched teeth. To think she rushed out here to put in a good word for him with Nate. Of course she’d told herself it was strictly for the child. “I only came out here to help you.”

“Well, I thank you, but I can handle things from here.” He went back to the truck leaving Emily with her mouth open.

She went marching after him. “I doubt it. Not if you came here looking for work. Nate is—”

“Hey, Em,” the familiar voice of her brother called to her. “I knew you couldn’t stay away.”

Nate Hunter was dressed in his khaki sheriff’s uniform. His tenure as the town’s lawman was soon to be a thing of the past. His retirement was only a few months away. He would be hanging up his sheriff’s hat about the same time his son was to be born. Then he could be a full-time rancher, wood carver and most important to Nate, a husband and father.

“Someone has to keep an eye on you guys,” she told him, still miffed that everyone wanted her out of the way while they finished the movie set.