hospital stay. Much as he hated this situation, Cole admired her wisdom and dedication to the job. On top of everything else, she’d shown discretion, a noble attribute when all was said and done.
Changing tactics, he said, “I only want to see her. Will you arrange it for me?” He could call his attorney to do it for him, but, for several reasons he hadn’t examined too closely yet, Cole preferred to deal with her alone.
She let out a sigh that sounded troubled, if not anguished. “How long will you be in Reno?”
“For as long as it takes.”
A battle seemed to be going on inside her. After a tension-filled silence her gaze fell away and she gave a brief nod. “Come by at nine in the morning and she’ll be here.”
Without further word she walked to the door, indicating it was time for him to leave. No woman of his acquaintance had ever done that to him before. Contrarily, he didn’t want to go. There was a lot more he wanted to know about her.
She didn’t wear a wedding ring. As far as he could tell she wasn’t living with another man. He saw no signs of a male occupying her home, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one in the picture. A woman who looked and moved like her would attract them in droves.
Hell-he’d been drawn to her from the moment her husky voice had called out to him yesterday. Being with her tonight, those feelings had only intensified.
He moved toward her. “I’ll get out of here so whoever you’re expecting won’t jump to a hasty conclusion.”
“Thank you, Mr. Farraday.” Ignoring his gambit, she opened the door. But satisfying color swept into her cheeks, intensifying the electric blue of those fabulous eyes, giving him the answer he sought. For the moment anyway.
“I’ll be here on the dot of nine,” he assured her before walking toward his rental car.
No sooner had he driven away than he pulled out his phone to check his messages. He’d turned off the ringer so he wouldn’t be disturbed while he talked to Catherine.
Two were from Brenda, the others from John and Penny. If he’d seen one from Mack, then he would have known something was wrong at the ranch.
Under the cir cum stances he didn’t feel like talking to anyone. From the second he’d taken a look at Bonnie’s pictures an idea had been percolating in his brain. After talking to Catherine this evening, it had taken on critical mass.
CHAPTER FIVE
CATHERINE brought the baby into the living room. “When I picked her up this morning, she’d just finished her bottle. I’m afraid she’s about to fall asleep again.”
Their eyes met for a moment. Cole’s were alive with anticipation. “No problem.”
As if he were used to taking care of an infant, he plucked Bonnie from her arms and carried her across the expanse to the sofa.
Such a tiny bundle nestled securely against the broad shoulder of a powerfully built man like Cole caught at Catherine’s heart. She heard low, happy laughter rumble out of him as he laid Bonnie on the cushion and began examining her.
Catherine had been guilty of doing the very same thing before he had arrived. Now she was guilty of examining
Terrie had fallen in love with a “hunky” cowboy named Buck.
Now that Catherine had met his big brother-the dynamic owner and head of the Bonnibelle Ranch-she under stood the power of the Farraday charm. It was lethal.
Bonnie must think so too. While she focused on the man speaking to her in that deep, rich voice, giving her all his attention, her whole tiny body seemed to wriggle with new life.
Without conscious thought Catherine drew closer, marveling at certain similarities between the two of them. Though she saw a look of Terrie in Bonnie’s mouth and nose, her hair color and widow’s peak, the shape of her eyes was genuine Farraday. Was it any wonder she was such a beautiful child?
Cole seemed captivated by her, as if he’d for got ten Catherine was in the room. Pleasure in the baby caused the lines of his face to disappear for a moment, making him look younger and so handsome it hurt.
It was only natural he was thinking of his brother and the little girl he and Terrie had produced. Yet every minute spent with her would make it that much harder for Cole to let her go.
No one under stood that better than Catherine herself.
Time was passing. She had to bring this love-fest between uncle and niece to an end.
“Cole?” she called softly to him. “I’ve bent the rules by bringing Bonnie here. She has an appointment with the pediatrician in a half-hour. Now that you’ve had the opportunity to see her, I’m afraid we have to leave.”
That brought his dark head around. “Is there something still wrong with her?” he demanded quietly.
After the way he’d been playing with the baby, testing the strength of her fingers and kissing her sweet neck, it shouldn’t have surprised her he’d reacted to Catherine’s words like any typical anxious parent.
“Not at all, otherwise the hospital wouldn’t have released her. It’s standard procedure that while the babies are in foster care routine checkups are done with more frequency than usual because they can be adopted at any time.” She flashed him an apologetic smile. “I don’t want to be late.”
Actually the doctor would fit the babies’ visits in without an appointment, but Cole didn’t need to know that.
Perhaps it was an unconscious gesture on his part, but in the next breath he’d laid Bonnie against his shoulder, exhibiting an undeniably possessive hold on her that was at once stunning and touching.
The thing Catherine had hoped wouldn’t happen had already come to pass. His next words con firmed it.
“No stranger is going to adopt her. I won’t allow it.”
Cole Farraday was used to his word being law, but in this case the situation wasn’t so black and white. Catherine took a fortifying breath. “Then you’ll need to tell that to the judge. I’ll warn you now that, even with money and power on your side, he’ll want what’s best for Bonnie.”
“She’s going to come home to her rightful family,” he declared in a forceful tone.
“Are you married, Cole?”
His jaw hardened. “I’m a widower, but in this day and age having a wife isn’t a prerequisite, surely?”
It appeared he’d known a lot of sorrow in his life, but then so had Catherine. She couldn’t let sentiment dissuade her from her course.
“Perhaps not always, but there are other considerations.”
“What consideration could possibly be more important than the fact that
