Page 29 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

Shannon walked in and leaned against the counter. “How was the baby last night?”

Taylor groaned. “Hungry.”

“How about I put the playpen in my room tonight, and I’ll get up with him? You have enough breast milk in the freezer, don’t you?”

“Oh, would you?” She gave her aunt a hug. “I should have plenty. I’ll check, though, and try to pump some more today, too.” She suddenly felt lighter, as if a weight had lifted from her. She hadn’t realized how being tired all the time was getting to her.

“It’s a gorgeous morning,” she said. “Let’s have our coffee out on the porch.”

“That’s a great idea, honey. I’ll meet you out there.”

But Taylor had no more than sat down when a brown truck pulled into the drive and parked. Her heart began to pound as she recognized the rough-looking stranger from the motel parking lot. Pulse racing, she stood from her chair. Why hadn’t she brought her gun out with her? She’d let down her guard over the past few weeks.

The man got out of his truck, his face hard and unsmiling.

She backed toward the door, and he yelled, “Hold it right there. I got somethin’ to say to you.”

Her aunt kicked the screen door open, a 12-gauge shotgun leveled at her shoulder. She strode to the edge of the porch and called out, “That’ll be far enough.”

The man halted his approach, a sneer appearing on his face. “I’m Jeb, Abe’s brother. I see you had that baby. We want you to know that boy is ours.”

Shock reverberated through Taylor’s chest. How the hell did he know she’d been carrying a boy? Her knees went weak, and she backed up some more until she could touch the wall. She leaned against it, gathering her courage, and yelled, “Abe gave up all legal claim to my baby when he raped me and was convicted. Go home. There’s nothing for you here.”

Shannon thrust the shotgun forward. “You heard the woman. Get the hell out of here.”

The man spat on the ground. “That boy’s a Shelton, and I’m telling you you haven’t heard the last of us.” He backed up several paces and then turned and walked to his truck.

Shannon kept the shotgun leveled at him until he drove away.

Taylor slowly sank to the floor and let the tears come. She sobbed uncontrollably, fear and rage boiling inside her. How dare that bastard think that he had a claim to her son? She felt nauseous at the thought of Abe’s family having anything to do with her baby.

She vaguely heard Shannon making a phone call. “You’d better get over here. The man in the brown truck was here, and it’s bad.”

Please God, let it be Colt that she called. I need him. I need his strength. I need his tenderness. God, I need him to wrap his arms around me and make all this go away.

Shannon took her hand and helped her to her feet. She’d spilled her coffee all over herself somehow. Her aunt said, “You go on in and change, honey, and I’ll make you another cup of coffee.”

She nodded, still shaking and weak as she headed to her bedroom.

When she returned moments later in clean clothes, she’d gained some control. At least her hands weren’t shaking when she took the steaming mug of coffee from her aunt. She gave Shannon a hug. “Thank you, Auntie, for saving the day.” She kissed her cheek. “You were really something. Would you have shot him if he hadn’t listened to you?”

Shannon gave her a squeeze and stepped back, her gaze hard and unwavering. “You bet I would’ve. He was on our property, and if he’d tried to hurt us, he’d have had a hole in him a mile wide.”

Taylor had known her aunt was tough, but now she understood her even better and was glad of it. She felt less vulnerable here with the baby in the house now. Hell, from what she’d seen today, her aunt was better than a lot of men would have been.

A vehicle approached down the ranch drive, and she went to the door in time to see Colt’s truck slew to a stop in front of the porch. He jumped out and came flying up the steps. “Tell me everything that happened, Taylor. Have you called the sheriff? Did you get a license plate number?”

He pulled her into a hug as if it were the most natural thing in the world, then released her and strode into the living room.

She picked up an old envelope off the end table and handed it to him. “Here’s the license plate number. I got it as he drove away. And no, I didn’t call the sheriff yet.” She grimaced, feeling a little silly now. “I was hoping you would do that.”

He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly to him as Shannon walked into the room. “Of course I will. That’s not a problem. Now, start at the beginning and tell me everything that happened.” He led her to the couch and sat down beside her. With a firm grip on her hand, he held her gaze as she described in detail what had happened when the man got out of his truck.

When she’d finished, Colt squeezed her hand. “You did a good job, Taylor. I know you must have been terrified.” He looked up at Shannon, who had stood by while Taylor was talking. “Shannon, you’re one tough lady.”

“I sure wish you’d been here,” she said. “I was scared to death.”

He nodded. “I don’t blame you. The guy sounds like a real piece of work.” He took out his phone and dialed the sheriff’s office, putting the call on speaker. He told Steve everything that he’d just learned from Taylor, including the license plate number. “Do you think you can find out more about these people?” he asked. “How dangerous are they? How worried should I be? Maybe that sheriff over there in Matador can tell you.”

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