Page 31 of Cowboy Wolf's Secret Baby

She sighed heavily and said, “My mother happened. She is a dark witch and didn’t want you in my life. She can’t control me as it is. Having you in my life would just make it that much harder. Plus, I think she thought if I felt abandoned and was hurt, I would lean more toward her.”

Conner waited for an explanation.

“You went to the jewelry store and were about to go in. Mother cast a memory spell on you, causing you to forget me.”

“How could I ever forget you?” he whispered. “I loved you so much it hurt.”

“She is very, very powerful. I’m surprised that you can remember now. I figured that I would just get this little bit of time with you and then you would be gone again. I never stopped loving you,” Beth said.

His mind was spinning, and he couldn’t seem to catch a thought. Then, he saw a picture of Taryn hanging on the wall.

“Taryn. I thought she looked like my mother. She’s my daughter.”

It was a statement, not a question.

“Yes, she is. I found out that I was pregnant soon after you left town,” Beth said.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What could I say? I know you don’t remember me, but I’m Beth, your almost fiancé. We made love and now I’m pregnant with your child.”

Conner barked out a mirthless laugh. “I guess I would have thought you were nuts. Does she know?”

“She found out yesterday. Mother was here and we were arguing about you. Taryn heard. I’m not about to lie to her, and she wouldn’t let me out of the conversation.”

“Which was why you guys came over to talk to me. She wanted to meet me.” He laughed. “And catch me up on everything that happened in her life.”

“Yes. Taryn knew that she couldn’t tell you that you were her father, but at least in her own heart, she would know that her father knew her a little bit.”

“What does she think about this situation?”

“She really likes you and wishes that you could stick around for more than a couple of weeks.”

Just then, Taryn plodded into the kitchen wiping the sleep from her eyes. She stopped suddenly when she saw Conner sitting at the table.

“You’re still here?” she asked.

“Actually, I came back this morning. I needed to talk to your mother about something important,” Conner replied.

“He knows that he is your father,” Beth said. “He remembered after he went back to his hotel room last night.”

Taryn grinned, stuck out her hand, and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Dad.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Daughter,” he said.

“I wasn’t surprised when I found out. I realized as soon as I saw you that I looked just like you.”

“You actually look exactly like my mother did when she was a little girl – except for that fire-red hair you have,” Conner said.

Beth got up and walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out bacon and eggs. She started cooking while Taryn talked to her father.

“I’m a wolf shifter and a witch.”

“That must have been a shock to your mother the first time you shifted,” he said.

“It was. I walked out of the room where my little girl was playing. I walked back in and there was a wolf pup. I nearly had a heart attack.”

“Are you a healer witch like your mom?”

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